How I Met Your Father
by RicardianScholar Clark-Weasley
Summary: When Rose's best friends Amy and Rory get engaged she sets out on her own quest for true love. Will it be with the incredibly dreamy Jack Harkness or is there someone else out there waiting for her? Or maybe, just maybe, her other best friend the cynical River Song is correct and there is no chance for true love.
1. Series 1: Pilot

**Author's Note: I've been inspired by some of the very quick, Doctor Who versions of How I Met Your Mother and decided to do one of my own. It will follow bits and pieces of the actual series but I hope to put my own twists and plot into it as well. I hope you enjoy it and review. Finally, but most importantly, this is dedicated to TVnut. Happy Birthday hon! **

_Kids, have I ever told you how I met your Father? Yes, I know you heard it all from Dad, but you haven't heard my side of the story. Don't worry I won't ramble on about all the small points like he did…well okay, it's going to be long! But don't worry, it will be the intermediate version. I'll skip the useless stuff. _

_Most of it. _

_Anyway! It all started in the year 2005, I was young, single, and happy in London living with my two best friends Rory Williams, who was training to be a nurse, and Amy Pond, who was teaching drama to children at the time. _

_Everything had been perfect and then my so called best friend had to ruin it all…_

"Will you marry me?"

"Oh Rory!" Rose cried out dramatically, hands on her chest, magazine dropped onto the floor, and tears in her eyes. "How could I deny such a romantic, sweet, proposal! It's just how I always dreamed it would be!"

"Okay, that's enough fooling around," Rory snapped the ring box shut, "just be honest. You think Amy would like it?"

"Of course she will," Rose said with an eye roll as she helped Rory up onto his two feet, she can't have Amy coming home to find her boyfriend on his knee to Rose, it would cause all sorts of trouble…oh all right! Only for like five seconds where Rory would ramble on like an idiot because how could anyone, who has known Amy and Rory, think Rory would cheat on his beloved? Especially with Rose who was like his sister. "How can she not? Especially with that diamond! How on earth did you managed to afford that baby?"

"It was my mother's," Rory flushed lightly.

"Amy's a lucky girl."

"I know I am," Amy said as she stepped through the front door. "But what am I lucky about this time?"

"Oh I don't know," Rose sighed, "you're lucky because you have an awesome best friend like me who is letting you and your delightful boyfriend have the flat all to yourself while she wanders the mean streets of London by herself."

Amy snorted. "Galifrey's with River?" she asked as she stepped into the kitchen to make a cuppa.

"I like to think I have more of a social life than that."

As if to prove Rose wrong, her phone rang and when she answered River's voice echoed out loudly enough for Rory and Amy to hear. "Rose, sweetie! Dump the boring couple and hang out at Galifrey's with me. Slut up!"

"Yeah," Rory grinned, "I can totally see that your social life is glittering with variation and excitement."

"Oh shut up!"

DWDWDWDW

"Poor Amy," River sighed, as Chris the barman served them their drinks, "stuck in the last legal form of slavery, forced to obey Rory's whim, cook, clean, and pop out babies."

"It's not the nineteenth century," Rose snorted.

"Don't get clever with me sweetie!" River snapped lightly, "You and I both know that our gender goes weak at the knees for some lovin'. Once in love and bound by our vows we become stupid, slaves to the man, while they sit on their backside watching football and drinking beer."

"I don't know what marriage you witnessed but my parents were nothing the like," Rose rolled her eyes, "if any of them was a slave to the other I would say it was my Dad."

"Yes but that's one marriage," River asserted, "having gone from foster home to foster home I've seen hundreds and they were all the same."

"Are you saying Rory is just like any other bloke, then?"

"Okay fine," River rolled her eyes as if Rose was being the irrational one, "Amy isn't likely to be a slave to Rory, it would definitely be the other way round-"

"Definitely."

"- but, let me finish Tyler, you and I both know that being single is better. After all the only real bonus of being in a _couple_," she spat out the word couple as if it was a dirty word, "is being able to have sex any time you want. But where is the fun of that, when you can dress up, look gorgeous, go to a bar and drink some good cocktails, and pull a gorgeous bloke?"

"But I don't want that!" Rose moaned. "I'm sick and tired of the same guys night after night, and no one to hold my hand during the good and bad stuff, no one who would carry me to bed if I fall asleep on the sofa, or buy me flowers because he can…I want someone I can travel with, settle down somewhere and have lots of children with one day. It doesn't have to be now after all Amy and Rory have dated for nine years before they got engaged, but seriously, and honestly, when is it going to be _my_ turn?"

"Oh sweetie," River purred, "you poor, poor little deluded romantic."

_It was very likely that your Aunt River ranted on about how romance was truly dead, and never really lived to begin with, as she did almost every other night we were at Galifrey's Bar, but I wasn't listening. I didn't hear a single word because right then I had turned my head and saw him. The most beautiful man alive, like he had walked off a Hollywood movie set and come straight in here, and he was smiling at me. _

"…And why haven't you slutted up?" River continued annoyed. "When I tell you to slut up you should slut up. How many times do I have to tell you, when you're out on the pull do it in a that makes you look good….and cheap because that always surprises guys when it turns out you have a brain."

"Hey, River," Rose said, "See that guy? I think-"

"Ooh, that one?" River squealed quietly. "He's dreamy."

"Yeah…I just think-"

"Hey! Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaave you met Rose?"

It was then when Rose found herself face full of manly chest, and the scent of very expensive cologne filled her nose , as strong hands grabbed hold of her hips gently as this man steadied her back onto her feet.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, um, yeah," Rose mumbled, "sorry. Overzealous friend."

"I don't mind," the man laughed, he stepped back from Rose and she was suddenly overwhelmed at how bloody gorgeous this man was. "Hello."

"Hello."

"Hello."

River gagged loudly behind them which snapped Rose back into reality. "Now then, don't start that, or we'll be here all day," Rose said flirtatiously, "I'm Rose. Rose Tyler."

"Jack," Jack said as he held his hand out, "Jack Harkness."

"Nice to meet you."

She went to shake his hand when he suddenly turned her hand around and brushed his lips against her knuckles. "Charmed," he said huskily. She swooned. Just a little bit, she really did.

They talked briefly, not that she could remember what had been said as his beautiful blue eyes seemed to penetrate her soul, and his scent was slowly driving her mad. He was someone she had dreamed of, and it seemed unbelievable that he was real.

"Woo-would you," she stuttered and then coughed to clear her throat, "consider going out for dinner with me next week?"

"Ooh," Jack grimaced, "sorry I'm at a work conference all week next week."

It took a lot of courage, because Lord knows he could so easily be rejecting her as nicely as possible, but Rose managed to gather it all to ask again. "What about tomorrow?"

Jack blinked his beautifully blue eyes and then grinned. "Tomorrow night it is!" he declared loudly. Suddenly a loud shout, followed by an equally loud cracking noise, echoed across the bar and Jack winced. "It appears my friend has irritated your friend."

"Don't worry," Rose smiled, "she'll find someone new in five minutes."

They laughed, talked a bit more before Jack's friend (who was sporting a bright red mark on his cheek) came up sulkily, and after Jack made arrangements with Rose for their date, the pair left. River disappeared with some random good looking guy, Rose headed back upstairs (yes she lived on top of a bar, _coolest _flat ever!) elated and feeling more optimistic about her love life than she had for years.

She was greeted unfortunately by the sight of Rory's trousers screwed up on the rug, and Amy's bra on her door knob. Well it certainly looks like someone was getting married soon. "Headphones," Rose muttered to herself, "headphones, headphones, where art thou headphones?"

DWDWDWDW

_It was the best date ever. _

_Well, okay, not really. It was the perfect date. How I, and all other girls out there, dreamed it to be. It was in a beautiful little restaurant, the food was great, there was candles, they were playing one of Glenn Miller's most romantic songs, and he had been the utter gentleman. It was perfect. _

_In comparison to my futures dates though it was utterly boring. _

"So…"

"So…"

"Hello."

"Hello."

"Hello."

"Please don't start that again," Rose laughed, "or we'll be here all night."

"Perhaps that's my plan," Jack smirked as he waggled his eyebrows comically, "to keep you all to myself."

Rose blushed lightly and smiled warmly back at him. He was incredibly romantic, just as she had hoped. "So what do you do?" she asked as she took a sip of her wine.

"Oh a bit of this, a bit of that," Jack said dismissively, "I'm an executive for Torchwood but that's just a posh way of saying errand boy half the time."

"Oh I know how that feels," Rose bemoaned happily, "I've finally moved up in the world from intern to junior architect for my company, and there is no difference. I'm still making all the coffee in the office. Regular dinner lady, me."

"You're sexier than all my school dinner ladies," Jack chimed in sweetly.

They laughed again, and before Rose knew it, the night flew away. Jack liked to dance, as she did, he loved to sing and karaoke was one of his drunken fun times just as she does, he loved romance and people, he liked the same TV Shows, the same films, and a couple books ("I'm not really that much of a big reader," he confessed. "Doesn't matter," Rose shrugged, "neither am I."), he was all in all the perfect guy.

"Urgh, I can't stand olives," Jack groaned as he flicked them off his meal, "they're so disgusting."

"You don't like olives?" Rose asked astonished and pleased.

"Yeah, why?"

"It's nothing…"

"C'mon, you can tell me anything."

"Well Amy and I have this theory….we call it the Olive Theory."

"Oh?"

"Well you see Rory hates olives, and Amy loves them so she gets to eat his olives…..and that's why they're so….well perfect together." Rose was fairly certain her cheeks were as red as her name at this point. "God it's so stupid," she moaned.

"No, no I don't think it is," he took her hand and she felt that he was giving her a look of pure adoration. This was it, this was the man, and she had found him just like that. Thank you Rory and Amy for getting engaged and allowing her to find this ridiculously wonderful man! "I think it's rather cute." He pulled away, took a sip of his drink, and over the rim of his glass his eyes met hers once again (and once again her heart did a little flutter and her stomach flipped like it had the last dozen or so times). "I have a jar of olives at home."

Those were the magic words.

No seriously, they were.

Before she knew it their bill was paid (by him!), they had skipped desert in favour of coffee at his, and now they were slow dancing to Glenn Miller. Oh Glen Miller! His soft serenading tones made this all the more romantic.

All she could think about now was how fantastic this man was, how romantic, how beautiful, and how he made her feel like nothing but jelly.

They exchanged another one of those looks. The sort of look that acknowledged there was something between them. Something special. It had been the same looks Rory and Amy shared for the all two days before they went on a date.

Jack leaned in slowly, torturously slow, and his lips were mere millimetres from hers, about to place which would have been undoubtedly the perfect kiss ever….

And then Rose just had to open her big fat gob and ruin it all.

"I think I'm in love with you."

DWDWDWDWDW

"How could I be so stupid?"

Rose sat in her favourite booth at Galifrey's, double vodka and coke in front of her, and her three best friends around her as she recounted the night before.

"He's now gone off on a conference thinking I'm some sort of lovesick moron!" she moaned, "Oh God!" she clutched her head as if it was about to explode. "He's going to tell everyone about the nutter if he picked up at the bar, isn't he?"

"Yes," River deadpanned, "ouch! Amy, that was uncalled for."

"No," Amy snapped, her Scottish accent returned fully, "what you said was uncalled for. Rose, sweetie, what you need is the most stupid, moronic, thing I have ever heard a person do."

"_How_ is this helping her?" Rory asked his fiancée.

"But that's what people in love do," Amy finished. She shot Rory a _let me finish stupid face_ glare that she had perfected in the years she had known him. "They do stupid things all the time. Like when Rory tried to serenade me with the help of his roommate."

"Should have never listened to that nutter," Rory blushed a bright red, "how on earth he managed to convince me that whale songs were romantic I will never know."

"I thought it was sweet," Amy said as she rubbed Rory's arm reassuringly, "and you know what? Someday I think Jack will find you sweet too, Rose."

"Yeah?" Rose asked a tiny bit hopeful. "Because I thought I came across like a total nutter desperate for a husband."

"Oh you did," that all too familiar, heart stopping, American drawl came from behind her, "but I thought it was adorable."

"Jack!" Rose exclaimed.

"Whoa," Amy murmured appreciatively, "Rory, I regretfully have to end out engagement so I can tap that."

"Understandable," Rory said.

(As much as he will deny it in the future he too appreciated the beauty that was Jack Harkness.)

"What are you doing here?" Rose asked as she hastily tucked her hair behind her ears, and straightened her top. She looked like a right mess but then again it could so easily be worse than this. "I thought you had a conference to go to."

"I do, and will, taxi is waiting for me outside," Jack grinned as he held up a handbag, "but I wanted to return this first. You forgot it when you ran out last night."

_And that kids, is how I met your Uncle Jack. _

_Well just like your father I have to tell you how I became the woman I was before I met him!_

_Don't worry it won't be long…._

_Well not as long as your father's story was. _


	2. Series 1: Three Day Party

_Kids, a week after I first met your Uncle Jack was hell. _

_After all I had just fallen head over heels, made a prat of myself, and now was living the humiliating aftermath while he was out of town, and likely to have met some other gorgeous girl._

_So I may have lost it a little._

_Okay! Okay! A lot. I lost it a lot but I blame your Aunt River. _

_As you remember your Aunt River was being funded through Uni by a very rich and wealthy benefactor in return she was sent on trips to examine archaeological finds. Therefore she was gone for that week._

_Yep. Abandoned me for an exotic dig, left me to stew in my embarrassment, dumped me with the loved up couple….God it was no wonder I turned a little nutty by the end of that week. _

Amy and Rory were sat at their dining table. It was a nice old, second-hand one, that took Rory's back out carrying it up the stairs when they first moved in, and was painted to look like the planet Earth by a very bored Amy and Rose back when they were still unemployed. Amy was grudgingly marking essays while occasionally brushing her foot against Rory's lovely calf, and Rory was doing his best to ignore his fiancée's seduction in order to finish his evaluation paper.

Something he had to hand in on Monday, and still hadn't started it. Partly because he's a young male who has more interesting things to do (like play games, drink beer, and count the hair on his chest. Anything but the work really…), and partly because he had a gorgeous fiancée who wanted to have sex, and also because he had to work, comfort his annoying best friend, and keep tabs on River.

"_Amy_," he said warningly, "I have to get this done by Monday. The sooner I do it the sooner I can spend time with you."

"I don't know what you mean," Amy said innocently. The smile on her face though was so filthy and smug that Rory was not fooled at all. "I'm just thinking of my new ring. My lovely new ring."

Despite trying to work, and be boring, and all grown up, Rory couldn't help but grin stupidly at that. Amy was going to be his wife. Soon Amelia Pond will be Amy Williams, he couldn't wait!

"In fact my ring is so special it doesn't feel right to wear anything else," Amy continued sweetly, "not my skirt, not my top, not my underwear, not even my shoes, it feels so wrong to wear anything but this ring. I think I should go naked." Rory stilled and Amy caught his eye, and sent him a predatory grin. "Just wearing nothing but this ring." She purred. "Absolutely nothing."

"Guys," Rose said, completely bored (she was _far too_ used to this for her own good), behind her magazine from the sofa, "I am still here."

"Oops," Amy said innocently as Rory flushed a bright pink. You would have thought with all the times Rose caught them in far worse situations he would be used to this. "Sorry Rose."

Thankfully for Rose her phone went off giving her something to do other than listen to her best friend seduce her other best friend. Yep, she was definitely in need of a life. "Hello?" she said as she answered her phone.

"Rose," Jack's beautiful deep voice boomed in her ear, "it's me, Jack."

"Jack!" Oh God, she sounded far too eager and shrill. She was so gonna put him off if she keeps acting like this. "Hi, what can I do for you?"

"Well," Jack purred delightfully, "I have literally just got back in town. I have to brief my boss, and then I'm home free. So I was wondering what my favourite blonde was up to."

"Nothing much," Rose shrugged casually. She and Amy had discussed it before, and agreed Rose needed to be less eager and more sophisticated, calm, and very cool. Therefore Rose had agreed to dial down the crazy when she spoke to Jack (can't have the L word slipping through her lips again) and for the first couple times he phones, play hard to get. "Just having a party."

"What sort of party?"

"Just your normal, run of the mill, house party," Rose spoke with the very definition of calmness but if Jack had been in the room he would have seen her bounce excitedly on the sofa. _He phoned me, he phoned me, he phoned me_, she sang happily on the inside. "Because why not?"

Jack chuckled. "Why not indeed," he agreed, "Would you mind terribly if I joined in? I could use some fun after the week I had."

"Sure," Rose shrugged. YES! YES! YES! Was what she really meant. "Party starts at nine. Bring booze."

"Will do," Jack promised.

And after that they said their goodbyes, and Rose hung up with a shrill excited scream. "Did you guys…." She trailed off as she realised that during her phone call Amy and Rory had sneaked off into their bedroom and were very likely doing the naughty. "OI!" she yelled at the bedroom door. "When you're done get dressed and ready. We're having a party!"

A suspicious thump from the other side told Rose that Rory had very likely fallen out of the bed.

(It was always Rory, he gets startled far too easily.)

DWDWDWDWDWDW

He didn't show.

Any other day Rose would probably be incredibly upset but her head hurt too much from all the alcohol she drank to drown her sorrows last night. "Urgh," she moaned pitifully as she buried her face into Rory's chest. Amy was doing the same on the other side, and yes she was moaning just as pathetically. "Never drinking again."

"You always say that," Rory mumbled grouchily, he didn't get a single bit of work done last night because he got too caught up with the party. Rose pointed out that he couldn't be mad with her, he could have easily put headphones on and not join in the drinking games, or danced with Amy, or….well _danced _with Amy, especially on Rose's roof that she had planned to take Jack up in hopes he would make the move on her, but you know men, they never listen to logic. "But you always end up drinking again."

As if to punish them for having too much fun last night Rose's phone went off.

The three of them groaned in agony as Rose fumbled to turn the flipping thing off! "Hello?" she moaned, she may just be sick soon, "Who is this?" _and will you fuck off before I consider sawing your head into two just so you know how I feel right now?_ She thought darkly.

"It me, Jack."

"Jack!"

Rose's entire demeanour changed as she squealed loudly.

She hadn't expect him to phone her so soon.

Amy and Rory groaned and they both shot Rose a deadly look. And yes, Amy's look was far more terrifying than Rory's, while Rory just looked like a puppy attempting to be menacing. If Rose wasn't hung over she would have told him so.

"I am so sorry," Jack apologised, "I had gotten so caught up at work that I didn't even leave till ten, and then by that time I was just too tired to do more than throw myself into bed."

"That's all right," Rose said happily, he hadn't stood her up! He does still want to see her again! She can fix this and see him tonight without looking like a total nutter. "Last night was just the first half. That's right! Its two nighter party!"

Okay she was still going to come out looking like a total nutter.

"Wow," Jack said impressed, "you really know how to party."

"You bet I do!"

If looks could kill Amy would be arrested for Rose's murder….and Rory would simply be charged for assault because seriously Rory couldn't look menacing to save his life.

DWDWDWDWDWDW

He didn't show. Again.

And now Rose had double the hangover, felt double the exhaustion, and was certainly feeling more stir crazy than ever before. Why didn't Jack show up? Did he think she was a saddo with no life? Was he really not that interested in her? Was she so sad and pathetic that she was going to die alone, or worse with River telling her about her latest exploits? Was she going mad?

Very probably.

It was a shame because it had been such a good party as well.

River was so going to kill them for having two awesome parties without her. Rose wondered if she should write her last will and testament now or when the headache has disappeared enough for her to think properly.

"Now then," Rory said with an unexpected commanding tone, "we had our fun. Two brilliant parties but it's time to get back to real life. Now repeat after me, I will not have sex with Rory Williams."

"I will not have sex with Rory Williams," Amy and Rose repeated dully.

Much to Rose's irritation Rory and Amy had taken her roof again last night….not that it really mattered since Jack didn't show up…._again._

"I will not have another-"

Unfortunately for Rory, Rose's phone interrupted him, and the eager blonde girl jumped up and snatched it up. "Hello?" she trilled as she ignored Rory's warning glare. "Jack! Excellent, where were you last night you missed an epic party."

"Sorry," Jack said sheepishly. "I was about to go but my mate Owen, horrible twat he is, came banging on my door and bemoaning about how he pissed off his girlfriend this time. I had to sit there hours on end listening to him whine like a child. Trust me, I would much rather have been at your party."

"Your wish is my command," Rose joked, appallingly she will admit, "it doesn't matter that you missed last night's party because we're having another party tonight!" Rory leaped up and charged to tackle Rose, who stepped out of his way elegantly causing him to crash into the table, Amy watched the whole affair with an odd mixture of amusement and arousal. God Rory looked so hot, in her opinion. "That's right it's a three nighter because that's just how we roll," she lied cheerfully.

"Awesome."

"Yep!" Rose chimed as she jumped onto the sofa, deftly avoiding Rory's attempt to throttle her. "So see you tonight?"

"Definitely," Jack promised.

"Bye for now."

She hung up and met Amy's incredibly unimpressed raised eyebrow. "What happened to playing it calm and sophisticated?" Amy asked.

"Went right out of the window," Rose admitted sheepishly, "I'll get more booze….and snacks."

She then ran out of the flat altogether with a furious Rory chasing after her. Fortunately for her, and unfortunately for Rory, the police had spotted him shouting threats….and well, let's just say Rory got absolutely not work done that afternoon as Rose bailed him out (but not until after she knew he had calmed down…and she brought the stuff for the party).

DWDWDWDWDWDW

Rory was losing his temper.

It was bad enough Rose threw two parties, worse so when he got arrested for things he didn't even want to think about let alone commit, but this third party really took the biscuit. It was too noisy, irritating, Amy was far too close to some random bloke Rose had invited, and now some other dick spilled coke all over his evaluation form!

"THAT'S IT!" he roared. "No more of this nonsense! You get rid of these people right now Rose Marion Tyler! there is no point in them being there, Jack isn't going to show, he didn't show on Friday night, he didn't show last night, what makes you think he's going to show tonight? Give it up Rose, you're not going to make him fall head over heels in love with you by throwing three fucking parties one after another."

Rose stared at him wide eyed but not in fear or sadness like she usually would when got angry like this. There was going to be no tearful apologies this time. She bit her lip, her cheeks were flushed pink, and her eyes darted to behind him.

He turned and groaned in humiliation.

Jack Harkness had been standing behind him the whole time!

"You threw three parties for me?" Jack questioned.

"NO!" Rose immediately denied but her voice and blush totally gave her away. "I threw three parties to get you to see my roof."

"Is that some Brit metaphor for something? 'Cause I don't get it."

"No seriously, let me show you," Rose said quickly as she grabbed Jack's hand and all but yanked him into the direction of the fire escape. "Best view of London," she promised as she stepped out.

There is an awkward moment before the music resumes and the rest of the party carried on as if Rory had never spoken. Apart from Amy, she stood before him with a beer in her hand, "you should take a break," she said in her don't argue with me tone.

"Yeah," Rory mumbled shyly.

He was still embarrassed about humiliating Rose.

"And apologise to Rose later."

"I will," he promised.

"Now have a drink with me," Amy handed him the beer with a sweet smile and a light kiss on the corner of his mouth, "you stupid face."

The evaluation got forgotten once more.

DWDWDWDWDW

Jack whistled in appreciation of the view Rose's roof had to offer. It was, of course, one of the best views of London he had ever seen. Even had Canary Wharf not so far in the distance. It was beautifully lit up as well and from the corner of his eye he could see Rose glowing under the street lights, and she looked equally beautiful, and he knew. He knew as clear as day that Rory had not been lying at all.

"Great isn't it?" Rose said cheerfully. "I knew you would love it. Nothing beats good ol' London Town."

"Rose," Jack said softly, it was that tone used whenever someone was about to let someone down. "I don't want kids."

Rose blinked at him. "Who said anything about kids?" she asked. "I'm talking about London, and good views, and nothing about that kind of thing." She nervously bit her lip. "I don't want kids either."

"Don't lie," Jack said gently, "you do. You know you do. Maybe not straight away but you want it one day. You want that sort of love now. You're looking for the man that will sweep you off your feet but commit entirely to you. You want to be married. And I can't do that."

"You could," Rose argued.

"I could," Jack agreed, "but I don't want to. I don't want the domestic life Rose. Marriage, babies, and all that rot? They're not my thing, and I don't want you to make me unhappy."

"I can't turn it off Jack," Rose said sadly.

"I know, sweetheart," Jack pulled her into a warm, lovin embrace, "but we can be friends. I just know it."

"Really finding it hard to be friends," Rose confessed as she leaned into him, "especially when you smell so good."

Jack laughed and pulled away. He suggested they go back, and Rose finally being able to see a lost cause when she sees one, agreed. They came back in to find most of the party was gone, it was only half nine at night, and with a sheepish smile, Rory ended up suggesting they all go down to Galifrey's.

DWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose stood side by side with Jack at the bar as they waited for Chris to serve them their drinks. It was their second one, Rory and Amy were snuggled up in their booth having brought the first round, and Rose was stuck wondering what will happen to her and Jack now.

"I don't know if we can just be friends!" she blurted out. "I really, really, like you, and…well…you know. I'm an idiot like that."

"Oh Rose," Jack said fondly, "you're not an idiot at all, we no more than the rest of us, and we'll deal with it." He grinned fully now, his teeth all shiny and white that they almost blinded her. "But don't worry Rosie, we'll be the best of friends, and you'll forget all about me because I will find you your true love!"

"Really," Rose smiled, "and how do you propose to do that?"

Jack smirked and then suddenly tapped the guy next to him on the shoulder, "Hi," he said in his most friendly fashion, "have you met Rose?" he then stepped aside for Rose to meet the all right looking bloke.

She wasn't really paying attention to the poor thing though. Her head was still full of Jack, and as the bloke asked for her a number another voice piped up (rescuing Rose as always),

"Hello sweetie," River purred, "did you miss me?"

"River!"

Grateful to see her wild spirited friend (and surprisingly, she had missed her greatly but don't tell River! She'll just get a big head), Rose threw her arms round the trainee archaeologist's neck.

"I take that as a yes," she smirked as she pulled away, and then eyed the poor bloke critically, "surely you can do better than that. What happened to the American from last week?"

"He's over there with Amy and Rory," Rose nudged a shoulder in the direction of their booth. "So how have you been? Found anything good? Where were you exactly?"

"Spoilers," River teased, "but if you buy me a drink I'll tell all."

As they waited for River's drink, the poor bloke long gone muttering about lesbians the prick he was, Rose spilled everything from the last few days much to River's exasperation. "Honestly sweetie," she tutted, "have I taught you _nothing_? You got to treat them mean to keep them keen."

"Says the one who isn't in any sort of relationship."

River ignored Rose's logic in favour of spilling more of her so called pearls of wisdom. She did so the entire way back to their booth until she was interrupted by an ecstatic Amy and Rory who greeted her warmly.

"So I hear Rose ruined all chances of you doing your evaluation," River said amused to Rory.

"Yeah," Rory shrugged, "but it'll be all right because I'll finish this drink, have one more, and then do it all tonight, and it will be brilliant. I'll pass with flying colours. You'll see."

_He barely passed. But he did pass, and you got to give him credit that he managed it in one night. _

_No! You cannot take the moral of the story being that you can work last minute and do well. The moral was that I was a complete nutter. _

_What do you mean nothing has changed?! Cheek!_


	3. Series 1: Three Stories

_Not much happened since Jack and I decided to be friends. First there was the Cousin incident… Okay, maybe __**some**__ things happened. I'll give you a quick summary._

_The Cousin incident all began when River greeted us one October evening…._

"Hello sweeties," River trilled as she strolled towards her friends, drink in hand, and a glittering smile that made Rose shudder. Just a little bit, and only because she knew that smile. That smile usually meant Trouble with a capital T. "Guess what I got?"

"Chlamydia?"

"Very funny," River glared at Amy. "No I have free passes for the new hot night club Skaro. Who wants to join me tomorrow for the most awesome experience of their lives? It will be legen – wait for it – dary!"

"I'm in," Jack grinned, "I've been trying to get into Skaro for weeks."

"Might as well," Rose shrugged, "it's not as if I have anything better to do."

"Sorry," Amy said, completely and totally not sorry at all, "but Rory and I can't we have plans."

"Ooh," Jack teased as he waggled his eyebrows suggestively, "what _sort _of plans? And why wasn't I invited?"

Rose thumped him for the comment but he remained entirely shameless as he continued to tease Rory, who flushed bright pink, and Amy. "Not those type of plans," Amy huffed, "grown up plans!"

"I suggested grown up ones," Jack smirked, "my ideas aren't for kids."

"Mature ones," Amy asserted, "sophisticated ones."

"Boring ones," Rory bemoaned.

_Kids as you know back in 2005 your Aunt Amy was a drama teacher and all of her work colleagues were a bit older and more sophisticated than her. After she found herself being unable to confess to a drinking competition filled weekend to a work friend who had just described her weekend spent in antique fairs, Rory soon found his life filled with sophisticated and mature events. _

_And they were all totally boring. _

"We're holding a wine tasting event tomorrow night," Amy said primly, "apparently there will be a highly expensive vintage."

"You know those things aren't fun at all," River said unimpressed, "you spend all of your time _not _drinking. Unlike at Skaro where the drinks are buy one get one free."

_Amy remained un-swayed, and as Rory and she prepared for their boring evening, River had kidnapped me and dressed me in the sluttiest thing I have ever worn, no I will not describe it to you and if I catch you wearing anything like it young lady I will embarrass you in front of all of your friends!_

_Well it will be even worse!_

_Anyway, Skaro was nothing like we had thought it was the music was far too loud (and heavy metal, urgh), the drinks were expensive, I had lost your Aunt River in the crowd, and your Uncle Jack decided to grind up against some random skank for the whole night. His seduction technique apparently._

_Nothing exciting happened until your Uncle Rory showed up. Apparently he had jumped out of the bathroom window to escape the boring-ness of his night. Considering our flat is three floors up from the street I don't believe him._

_Especially when Amy showed up not that long after him. I reckon they just snapped and kicked everyone out of the flat but there's no point trying to get them to admit it. _

"Urgh!" River yelled in Rose's ear. "The drinks are not worth the money, the music is crap, and none of these guys are worth taking home either. Why did I bring you too this shit hole?"

"I dunno," Rose laughed as she took River's hands and danced with her. It was far safer and more fun than dancing with some handsy creep. As much as she liked Jack she did think his technique of grinding up against a random woman all night was a bit creepy. She really didn't want that to happen to her by some stranger. "Because you said it was gonna be legendary?"

"I was wrong."

"I'll remind you that you said that."

"And I will deny it to my dying breath."

They danced in silence after that in order to save their voices. They cringed as Rory danced like a buffoon without Amy there to make him a soppy graceful twit, and smirked in great delight when Amy appeared in her shortest skirt and poor Rory gulped at the fearsomely angry look on her face.

Rose missed what happened next because River promptly abandoned her for some hot guy and as she turned to look for her so called friend, she saw the girl Jack had been grinding against for the best part of the evening turn round, and Jack's rosy cheeks turn chalk white before he ran out.

Unable to fight against the curiosity, Rose followed. "Hey!" she called out as Jack staggered out onto the street. "Where are you going?"

"Somewhere far, far, away where I can curl up and die," Jack said somewhat cheerfully. Though there was definitely a tremor in his voice. "I never want to think of this night again."

"I know the club is shit and all that," the bouncer coughed to remind her that there was a group of people queued up desperately wanting in on this terrible club. Rose didn't really give a crap and carried on regardless, "but there's not excuse to die."

"That's not why," Jack said tightly.

"Was it the girl?" Rose asked trying not to be gleeful at the idea. "Was she hideous? Had lots of warts?"

"No."

"An ex-girlfriend then?"

"No, she was," Jack hesitated and the finally, after taking a deep breath, he said, "she was my Cousin Alice."

Rose really couldn't help it. She tried to keep her mouth shut, even bit her lip with full force, but it came out anyway, first as a snort, and then a full out hysterical laughter.

"Oh laugh it up!" Jack huffed.

She did.

"It's not funny!"

"It is," Rose giggled, "it so _is_." She laughed even more until Jack, in a total sulking fit, stormed off, and Rose had to run after him. "Don't be like that! I didn't mean to be mean," she said as she threaded her arm through Jack's, "I'm just glad that it isn't me that keeps making a fool of herself."

Jack sighed, defeated. "I suppose it is sort of funny," he smiled wryly but then his eyes bored into hers with an intensity no man has ever looked at her with. "Promise you won't tell anyone?"

"I promise."

_Oops?_

DWDWDWDWDWDW

_After finally seeing Jack as a human being instead of the gorgeous se- err, Prince Charming I had first thought of him as I found it a tiny bit easier to be friends with him. Not that much easier, I was still stupidly attracted to him at the time. Especially when he did the impossible – Get your Aunt River to dress up._

_Now you might all be wondering what the hell I'm going on about. After all your Aunt River always dresses up in silly costumes like for your fairy-tale themed birthday party when you turned seven she arrived as the Fairy Godmother, big puffy skirt and all, but before that she hated that sort of thing. She had thought Amy, Rory, and I were saddest people for dressing up especially in our co-ordinated costumes in fact that year we were - _

"Err…Hello Harry Potter."

Jack had been looking forwards to a night at Galifrey's and see how the Brits celebrated Halloween. He had gone somewhat all out with his Captain Jack Sparrow costume (why not be a different Jack altogether for one night?) but he hadn't expected the door to Rose's flat to be answered by a be-speckled, black haired, scarred wizard and not the pretty blonde, or redhead, or even male roommate of his favourite trio.

"Hello Captain," Rose as Harry replied cheerfully, "Where have you parked the Black Pearl?"

"Somewhere near the sea," Jack grinned, "aren't you supposed to be in school?"

"I did a bunk."

Jack would have continued to playfully flirt with Rose/Harry (because there was nothing wrong with harmless flirting when they're friends, and he wasn't leading her on because he had made it clear that he didn't want anything serious) but a short Ron Weasley who had obviously tucked her long red hair into her shirt collar. "Well hello Captain," Amy/Ron purred happily.

"Nice costume," Jack grinned even more, "Who is Rory, Hagrid? Neville Longbottom?"

"I wish," Rory said only half miserably as he stepped out of his room. Jack blinked as he took in the long bushy wig, the short school skirt, and the large Mary Jane's. "I wish I could say I lost the coin toss but that really wasn't the case."

"Can anyone explain to me why Rory is the girl in this scenario?"

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Does it really need saying?" Amy smirked.

"No, I suppose not."

"Oi!"

"So is River going to be your Ginny?" Jack asked eagerly as he ignored Rory's desperate ramble on how he had no choice but to be Hermione as Amy had to be Ron, and Rose refused to be Amy's girlfriend, okay _he_ refused the idea of Rose being Amy's girlfriend but still – "And why wasn't I invited for the group costume?" Jack asked loudly over Rory's babbling.

"Don't be offended sweetie," Amy said, "It's always been just the three of us. We were the three musketeers last year."

"And River doesn't celebrate Halloween," Rosh shrugged as Jack gasped in horror. How can anyone _not _celebrate Halloween? "She hates costumes, and refused to dress up when we invited her to a fancy dress party years back, said it was stupid, and we never bothered since."

"Well I'll change that right away," Jack declared passionately, "no one should go around never dressing up in their life. It makes things dull, and grey, and uninteresting. I will find River, get her dressed up in something fabulous, and then I shall meet you in the bar with a beautiful stranger…oh and River."

DWDWDWDWDWDW

At the umpteenth knock River snapped.

Having endured this year in and year out, she was prepared with her own water gun filled up with spoilt milk to squirt at the horrible children who obviously can't read. After all, her sign clearly stated there was no sweets in her house.

"Can't you brats rea- Jack?" River blinked as instead of horrible trickster children (if she counted the amount of times she got egg on her favourite shirt this time round of year she would loss count long ago) there stood Rose's gorgeous crush. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to get you dressed for the ball!" Jack exclaimed cheese-ily.

"No," River said flatly.

"Oh come on!" Jack pouted adorably. "It will be fun. Lots of drinks and sweets at Galifrey's. Rory is in a dress. And I will do my rendition-"

"Rory's in _a what?"_

"A dress, he is dressed up as a little school girl."

"Awesome!" River dropped the water gun and grabbed her handbag instead. "Just let me get my coat and we'll go."

"After we get you in your costume."

"_Hell no_."

"Why not?"

"Because I said so!"

"That's not a real answer and you know it. Why?"

"It's none of your business!"

"Oh come on River, you're awesome and fun, why won't you dress up? Why are you being so boring?"

"_Because I never got to dress up as a kid_!" River shrieked. There is an awkward silence as she closed her eyes in horror. She never admitted that to anyone. Ever. Not even to her friends. And now this new-ish friend who she barely knows got it out of her just like that. "I…we didn't do Halloween at the dumping grounds they called homes. Some of my foster parents wouldn't take me but normally I had no family around Halloween…the only time I had a Halloween I was wearing a costume that didn't fit and spent the entire experience being reminded door after door how I didn't have a family, and I swore I would never endure that again. No go away Jack, I just want to drink my gin and watch my film in peace."

"But River," Jack breathed, "you do have a family." She arched a disbelieving eyebrow at him. "You have me," Jack pointed out, "and Rose, and Amy and Rory. We're your family. You can dress up and have fun with us."

River hated that he was right. Because he so was…but to admit that they were…what if they left her too?

"I can't go," River clung to her final excuse, "I don't have a costume."

"Lucky for you," Jack had a very evil grin on his face as he held up a hanger with a plastic bag covering the awful multi-colour monstrosity in it, "I have a costume guy."

"You _got _to be kidding me!"

DWDWDWDWDW

_It was a great night._

_I honestly don't remember the details because I was actually incredibly drunk that night. Don't look at me like that I was young and over age! It's allowed. But River looked fantastic in the multi-coloured feather dress as she played the parrot to Jack's pirate. _

_In fact - _

"And in First place for group costume," Chris, the bartender announced as dramatically as possible. In fact he held his breath for a few tense seconds and everyone leaned in as the tension was beginning to kill them, especially Rose, Amy, and Rory who had set out each and every year to win this and still haven't. ".. Is Jack Harkness as pirate, and River Song as his pet parrot!"

"YES!" Jack roared over the enthusiastic applause.

"You mean I dressed in a skirt for nothing!" Rory wailed.

"Not for nothing," Amy giggled flirtatiously as she placed a hand on his lower thigh. "I've been given a great advantage."

"Still here, with River and Jack, and the entire bar," Rose reminded her sex fiend of a friend.

"I won!" River cried out happily as she accepted the plastic trophy. "I won! I can't believe I have won!" she threw her arms round Jack. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Best night of my life!" she declared.

_River will deny it the next day and every day after that but that is what she said nonetheless. _

"Cheer up guys," Jack said the depressed trio, "there's always next year. In fact we'll be together in a super awesome group costume."

"Like the Power Rangers!" Rory cried out. "Dibs on Green!"

"We're not doing the Power Rangers," Amy said sternly, "we should do something where we get to play with makeup and wigs, not have big heavy helmets on making it difficult to drink."

"We'll think of something," Jack said reassuringly, "we have all year."

"We'll definitely win together," River beamed.

_We didn't win. _

DWDWDWDWDWDW

_And then finally there is the Glasgow incident…_

"Why are we at the airport?"

It was a bitterly cold March morning. Valentine's Day had been entirely not worth mentioning as had Christmas, and now on this boring day, River had kidnapped Rose from Galifrey's to go to an airport of all things.

You know sometimes Rose wonders what it would be like to have a normal friend.

"Oh you know," River waved a dismissive hand, "meet a guy, go on an adventure, do something other than sit in a bar….the usual."

"Right," Rose said sarcastically, "the usual because it's normal to pick up guys in an _airport_."

"You'd be surprised," River smirked.

It was a really filthy smirk as well which led to the question just _what exactly has River done in airports?_ Actually you know what? Don't answer that, Rose doesn't want to know. "I'm going home," Rose announced, "you do what you like."

"But Rose-"

Whatever argument River had got lost in the sudden rush of someone shoving Rose which of course caused her to stumble and stagger into two rather good looking blokes. One of which caught her with ease. "Are you all right?" a Scottish accent asked.

Rose swooned a little. If there was something she loved more than Jack's Hollywood American accent it was a sexy lyrical Scottish accent. "Yeah," she blushed, "just lost my footing."

"Rose!" River called out looking concerned as she rushed to her side. "Thank you sirs, I was worried sick, my friend here is jeopardy friendly-"

"_Excuse me_?" Rose squawked indignantly.

"And I thought the worst when I turned round and couldn't find her," River finished off sweetly. She looked up at the two men with an expression of utter innocence that Rose knew was bullshit. "How can I thank you for keeping her safe?"

"It was nothing," the blonde man said. He had an equally sexy Scottish accent like his smaller dark friend who had caught Rose.

"We just couldn't let a pretty lady fall," the dark haired one agreed.

"Well thank you," River said as she held her hand out, "I'm River."

"Sylvester," said the dark one.

"Colin," the blonde one.

They all shook hands and Rose introduced herself to the men, River smoothly carried on the conversation from Rose to the men (they were both PhD students in science) to airports, and then finally to where they were going.

"Just to Glasgow," Colin shrugged.

"Really? How weird!" River cried out. "That's where we're going!"

"What a coincidence," Sylvester commented.

"Perhaps we'll see each other on the plane?" River said.

"Perhaps," Colin agreed a touch flirty.

They then said their goodbyes and River's innocent expression melted away quicker than snow in the rain. "I'll get the tickets then, you wait here," she ordered Rose.

"_What?_!" Rose shrieked. "NO! We are _not_ going to Glasgow!"

"Why not? " River said flippantly. "There's nothing better to do and those men are hot." She then decided to change tactics before Rose could argue with her. "Oh come on, Rose," River moaned, "it'll be an adventure, something fun, in fact it will be legendary!"

"You always say that!"

"I do not!"

"You do too! For example when that blizzard had hit us in January..."

"_Rose!" River shouted joyfully when Rose blearily opened the door. "Snowball fight three streets away, all hot sweaty men, it will be legendary! Snow slut up!"_

_Irritated Rose slammed the door shut on River's face, it was far too early to be thinking about breakfast let alone snowball fights. And then of course it was far too cold but unfortunately something was niggling in the back of Rose's mind. She opened the door again, "Okay I have to know," she confessed, "how do you snow slut up?"_

"_Tight jeans of course, sweetie," River grinned perversely, "they won't be able to take their eyes off of you."_

"_Ah, no."_

_Rose slammed the door shut once more and ignored River's knocking as she crawled back into bed where it was warm and toasty, and there was no whacko wanting her to look like a slut in the middle of a blizzard._

_Her sleep was disrupted once more when River broke in via the fire escape but that's an entirely different story. _

"River I said no – Oi! Don't run off!" she was ignored. "Don't run up that escalator!" she was ignored again. "Don't run up that secondary escalator!" at this point Rose sort of gave up and sat on the empty suitcase that River had inexplicably brought with them.

Why was she friends with that madwoman again?

When River returned Rose had no choice but to go to the boarding gate with her….mainly because River grabbed her arm and forcibly dragged her there while she was also on her phone inviting Amy to join them via car. "You can't invite Amy!" Rose hissed, "She has a thirty odd essays to mark!"

"Too late," River snapped her phone shut, "she says she's on her way."

Rose was the only responsible and sensible girl in the group. It was the only explanation of this night. As she dejectedly ended up on an airplane to Glasgow (not how she wanted to spend her Friday night at all) she bumped back into Sylvester and Colin. "Oh, hey!" she smiled.

"Hello," Sylvester and Colin chimed.

"Well would you look at that?" River purred. "We're sat right next to one another. It must be fate." Rose snorted inwardly, you mean River had bribed someone to give them those seats because that was the only explanation she could think off.

"Or it could be because Col and I got our tickets dead cheap and the last minute," Sylvester grinned, "we hadn't planned coming up for another week but it's my girlfriend's birthday and I'm the surprise for her party."

"Oh you got a girlfriend!" River exclaimed as if she was interested in that and not at all disappointed (unlike Rose).

"Yeah, we both have," Colin replied, "mine is organising the party."

River may have been irritated that her pulling technique had failed but it was hard to tell as she spent the whole plane journey chatting cheerfully to Sylvester and Colin while Rose glared daggers into her back.

After all River might not mind but Rose could think of better things than ending up wasting her Friday night on airplane for some hair brained scheme to catch men that totally and epically failed.

_And that was how you're Aunt River and I ended up in Glasgow. _

DWDWDWDWDW

_While we girls were going on an adventure on our own, Jack decided to get to know Rory better on a bloke's night out. It wasn't very successful so far. First the conversation (according to your Uncle Rory) had been awkward and then more and more people, girls and boys, were starting to throw themselves at your Uncle Jack, and then there was that phone call from Amy telling Uncle Rory that she trusted him in bar in such a manner that it came across because no one would fancy him. _

_Basically your Uncle Rory felt like a pile of shi- dog poo. A big steaming pile of dog poo. _

_And when he feels like that he gets mopey, and then sets out to prove everyone wrong….._

"Hey," Rory grinned lecherously, like Jack had three minutes ago, "How you doin'?"

"Not interested," was the girl's flat reply.

"Hi," Rory tried again with a different girl, "I'm-"

"No."

"Hey Rory," Jack piped up, "how about we-"

"Yeah, yea, hold on a girl is coming over," Rory dismissed Jack without even looking at him. He smiled awkwardly at the blonde girl in pigtails and she grinned back at him.

"What about Amy?"

"She said it was all right."

"She _did?_" Jack asked half impressed, half disbelievingly, "hold onto that woman, Rory."

"Hi," the blonde girl breathed.

"Hi," Rory smiled back.

"I just wanted to say…."

"Yes?"

"That I really like your shirt," the girl finished hurriedly, "my girlfriend would look great in it. Where did you get it?"

"Oh," Rory said disappointedly, "I don't really remember I think my girlfriend brought it for me."

Jack watched Rory in concern as the girl, Lynda with a Y she had introduced herself as, babbled on endlessly about Rory's shirt, her classes at Uni, and how cool this bar was. Finally Chris had turned his attention to her drink order and she turned away which allowed Jack to pounce on his prey. So to speak.

"Want to tell me what's going on?"

"What do you mean?" Rory squeaked.

"Well," Jack drawled, "this was supposed to be a bloke's night out, and yet we haven't hung out or bonded or whatever we were supposed to do because you keep hitting on every girl that has come near you….which has been every girl in the bar because we've been standing in front of the bar all night."

"Sorry," Rory apologised sheepishly, "It's just…I'm getting married soon."

"Yes," Jack said slowly, "…and?"

"I feel like that I have just been settled for," Rory confessed quickly, "that Amy could do so much better because I'm not that much of a catch. I just want prove that I'm quite attractive."

"Is that all?" Jack laughed.

"Yeah," Rory muttered. He felt just a little offended that Jack was laughing at all of his fears and worries as if it was nothing. "Why?"

"Because you have nothing to worry about," Jack clapped a reassuring hand on Rory's shoulder. "You're a _very_ attractive man."

He then leaned in and kissed Rory lightly on the lips.

_What? What's with that reaction? You mean you don't know that your Uncle Jack is bisexual? Oh all right! I suppose him being married to a woman is a tiny bit misleading but still! Well fair enough I suppose…I didn't know until after this when your Uncle Rory babbled incoherently about it to me and we all confronted him but it isn't a big deal. _

Absolutely taken by surprise and a little flustered, Rory stuttered something turned bright red, and immediately whirled round to order a drink only to crash into Lynda with a Y which caused her to spill her bright red drink all over Rory's shirt.

"Oh no!" she cried out horrified. "Hold on a moment!" she snatched up some napkins and began to rub his chest with them. "Here," the sweet blonde girl with pigtails said desperately, "this will get the stain out." She rubbed his chest furiously. "I hope."

It was then Amy walked into the bar. She had been on the M25 finally edging nearing to the M1 when Rose called and told her not to go to Glasgow, a little disappointed but overly worried when Rose asked if she knew the implications of what she had said to Rory (they may have talked on the phone for an hour in which Amy almost crashed twice but oh well), and immediately turned back. It appeared her worries were a reality and she reacted instinctively.

"Hands off of my fiancée, you bitch!" she shouted as she yanked the blonde tramp by her hoodie. "What makes you think you can touch my man?"

"Amy!" Rory cried out more delighted than aghast. "She was just wiping her drink off my shirt. She wasn't making a move on me!"

"Yeah right!" Amy snarled.

"I wasn't!" Lynda with a Y shrieked fearfully. "I don't like guys!"

"You're gay?" Amy questioned the terrified girl. Lynda nodded quickly which gave her the appearance of a bubble head doll. "Oh thank God!" Amy hugged the girl. "I wasn't entirely sure if I could beat you up."

_Amy might be the jealous type, but unfortunately Lynda with a Y's girlfriend definitely was. _

"Oi, bitch!" a furious brunette roared. "Hands off of my girl!" she then yanked Amy by the hair and went to slap her when Amy smacked her hand away.

This, of course, led to a full out fight as both girls grabbed hold of each other's arms and dragged one another to the ground.

"Cat fight!" Jack boomed excitedly.

"Oi!" Chris barked from behind the bar. "No domestics in my pub!"

He then, much to all the male population in Galifrey's that night's disappointment, leaped over the bar and pulled the two girls apart. It took a lot of no nonsense talking before a truce was made and Amy's attacker left with her tail tucked between her legs.

"That," Rory declared, "was the hottest thing ever."

Amy tried to grin but her split lip made her wince instead. Rory tenderly took care of it with his first aid knowledge before he placed the lightest of kisses on it. Meanwhile Jack spent the rest of the night trying to convince Chris to let cat fights happen, or better yet make them mandatory.

DWDWDWDWDWDW

The next evening Jack and Rose were in Galifrey's alone. A rarity in the last few months since they had met.

"It wasn't so bad in the end," Rose grinned, "we ended up in these fantastic bar that's like a mad scientist lab, then we went clubbing and it was much better than that time at Skaro, blokes kept buying us drinks, and we then had the greasiest breakfast you can imagine before we spent the rest of the day shopping and exploring in general. I was so exhausted that I had the best night of sleep in my life despite the fact I was sharing a room with six strangers and River in a youth hostel." Rose finished her story happily as she took a long sip from her drink.

It was then she realise that the reason she was still friends with River, despite her being a madwoman, was because their insane adventures always gave her a good story to tell.

"So you had a good time then?" Jack asked.

His blue eyes twinkled at her as he was obviously amused with her excitement. She beamed back and twirled her slightly greasy blonde hair between her fingers, _urgh_ a shower was definitely a first on the list once she got home. She hadn't even gone upstairs yet because she had bumped into gorgeous Jack Harkness on the way and he offered her a drink in exchange of her story. "Yep!" she popped the p happily. "In fact!" she then dived into her shopping bags and rummaged through them before she pulled out what she was looking for. It was a new dress, the most stunning she had owned since the Summer Ball at Uni years ago. Jack whistled appreciatively which only made Rose smile more. God she never seemed to stop smiling around this man. "I got this at a little shop that I would never have found in London. It'll be perfect for Martha and Mickey's wedding."

"Who?"

"Martha and Mickey," Rose repeated half exasperated, "haven't we told you about them?" Jack shook his head. "Oh, well, we should, they're awesome if a little too busy with their adult lives but the wedding should be brilliant," she hesitated a little but she was Rose Tyler – a stupid brave moron of love – she had the courage to ask. "Wanna come?"

"Sure," Jack grinned and he then held up his glass, "to the next adventure."

"The next adventure," Rose clicked her glass against his.

_And kids, the next adventure was just around that corner because that wedding…well it changed everything for our group._

_**Everything. **_


	4. Series 1: The Wedding

**Author's Note: this chapter is for TVnut as a Christmas present. Merry Christmas!**

_Kids back when I just finished Uni I had a boyfriend called Mickey. Mickey was the best. He was kind, sweet, and adorable. We dated for three years in which he took great care of me and treated me like a princess. But he didn't…well __**fascinate**__ me, I suppose, he wasn't what I wanted, and certainly not what I needed, and in the end it crumbled. _

_But we ended it amicably and remained really good friends. _

_Within a year he found Dr Martha Jones and a month after I met your Uncle Jack they had invited me, and my friends to the wedding. _

_This was going to be the Wedding that changed everything, why? Because I had asked Jack to be my plus one, and he said yes. _

"Are you sure he knows it's a date?" Amy asked sceptically.

It was a surprisingly warm April day and the two of them were enjoying a late afternoon stroll between their local branch of Starbucks and their flat. Rose had just spent the last half an hour gushing about how Jack was going to be her date to the wedding,

"Of course it's a _date_!" Rose snapped. "What else would it be?"

"Two mates on the pull together? A pity date? Two friends just hanging out? A moment of-"

"Yeah, all right, I get the picture," Rose interrupted Amy's disheartening list. "But it will be a date because I have _the_ dress."

Before Amy could ask exactly what was _the_ dress, there was a loud shriek down the road, and much to their surprise a familiar dark skinned woman was screaming down the phone. "What do you mean there's no lilies. I need the lilies, I _paid for_ the lilies, and now you're telling me THERE'S _**NO LILIES?!**_ WELL SCRE-"

"Martha?" Rose interrupted stunned.

Martha paused and turned to face them. She smiled sheepishly and hung up, "Oh hi guys," she mumbled, "sorry about that…"

"How are you?" Amy asked concerned.

"Oh you know…on the verge of committing homicide."

"I don't know how you do it," Amy said hesitatingly, and very admiringly as well, I'm getting married and we haven't even set a date or booked somewhere yet."

The idea of planning a wedding terrified Amy. She had no idea where to start, what exactly she wanted other than the ridiculously expensive, and just looking at Martha who was obviously severely stressed…well it scared her. She didn't want to be like that at all.

"We probably wouldn't be getting married so soon but there was an opening at the-" _Now Kids I cannot, for the life of me, remember where Martha and Mickey had their wedding. All I know it was a posh hotel that cost a fortune and was a long tube ride away._ "My sister Tish has connections and got us in."

"Oh my God! You're getting married in the-" _Oh and it was the place Amy and Rory wanted to get married in!_ "That's really difficult to get in. Me and Rory tried to book for next year out of a whim and there wasn't a single opening!"

"Yeah, kind of wished we picked somewhere else," Martha sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. It was usually well kept, tied back, and so neat that Rose wondered if Martha had some sort of superpower, but now it was sticking up in places like a crazy person….err why did Rose want to get married again? "I've been having nightmares with the hotel staff. I think I have hives from the stress."

This was coming from a doctor, the sensible, logical, girl.

"Well I got my plus one," Rose said cheerfully, a very false cheer as Martha was scaring the shot out of her right now. "So you don't have to worry about a meal going spare."

"What?" Martha blinked.

"My plus one, I found him. He's-"

"You didn't RSVP a plus one!" Martha shrieked.

"I did!" Rose argued, rather bravely, she had thought but Amy informed her later that it came out high pitched and scared sounding. "I always do!"

"Well not this time, Tyler!" Martha snapped. "So tell your date that he can't come."

"But-"

"NO BUTS!" Martha bellowed. A poor old man who had been walking past jumped, missed putting his walking stick on the ground, and slipped onto the floor. Amy ducked down to help in but out of selfishness rather than the kindness of heart. It meant she could avoid Martha's blazing fury. "I have flowers to find since my florist has failed me, I have the catering company to phone because my Dad had to bring his lactose intolerant, nut allergic, calories hating bimbo to the wedding, I have my mother, my siblings, and the fact my father is bringing his midlife crisis to the wedding to deal with, you know never mind it's my day and he's supposed to give me away, whatever, and not to mention my dress no longer fits me because I lost too much weight due to the stress of organising a wedding!"

Rose winced and took several steps back. She knew the subject of Martha's stepmother was an incredibly sensitive issue and Martha got a little irrational whenever she was mentioned.

"I'm really sorry" Rose said soothingly, "but surely one more person will make a difference. Just give the bimbo's dinner to Jack," a reasonable solution if you asked her.

"If you want to go hungry that's fine," Martha said flippantly, "but you're still not bringing a date. If you don't like it then don't come."

Before Rose could plead with her she stormed off and not far down the road they could hear Martha shrieking down her phone once more.

"What am I going to do now?"

"I don't know," Amy shrugged, "tell Jack he can't come."

"But he has to come!" Rose wailed. "How am I going to seduce him with the dress if he's too busy having drinks in a bar nowhere near me. All my plans, my hopes, my dreams, just gone!"

"Has anyone ever told you that you're rather melodramatic?" Rose glowered at her so called best friend. Amy shrugged it off without much care and suggested something sensible. "Perhaps River can take him as her plus one?"

"Please," Rose snorted, "River with a plus one?"

"Oh yeah," Amy said realisation dawning, "the Best Man scam."

_Kids, you know how popular culture depicts bridesmaids as insecure and desperate creatures? Well your Aunt River had a similar theory with any unmarried Best Man…we're not really sure why she wanted to touch those with a broom let alone jump into bed with them. _

"I suppose I just won't go…" Rose sighed.

"You can't do that!" Amy shouted suddenly. "It'll make you look like you never got over Mickey!"

"Urgh!" Rose groaned. "Can't have that. I love Mickey and all but only as a mate."

"There's your answer!" Amy snapped her fingers as one of her brilliant ideas came to her. Rose stared at her blankly. "_Mickey_!" Amy said exasperated. "He's the _groom_! He'll put Martha right."

"You think?" Rose asked hesitatingly. "Because well…he's a bit of an idiot, an adorable idiot, but an idiot nonetheless, and Martha's rather scary."

"Hey," Amy said reassuringly, "it's his wedding too and he has an input." Rose gave Amy a pointed look since Rory has had minimal input in the vague plans they had made so far. "Call him!"

"All right," Rose agreed, "what could be the harm?"

"Don't worry Rose," Mickey's warm voice crackled on the phone within five minutes of her calling him and explaining everything, "I'll set Martha straight and you can bring this Jack."

"Really?"

"Sure," Mickey said unbothered, "why shouldn't you bring a date?"

"Well thanks."

"No problem babe, see you later."

"Bye."

Rose arrived to Galifrey's in a happy mood to find only Rory waiting for them for a quick drink before their movie and take out night. They quickly caught him up on what happened, he, unlike his fiancée, had a much more cynical view of the whole situation.

"You can't go behind the bride's back!" he exclaimed.

"Why not?" Rose asked.

"Think what would happen if I went behind Amy's back," Rory pointed out.

Amy snorted, "Don't be such a stupid face," she scolded her fiancée gently, "As if you would ever go behind my back, and Mickey's not going behind Martha's either."

"I just can't see this ending well…"

_He was right. _

DWDWDWDWDWDW

"Mickey?" Rose blinked sleepily. It wasn't late but after a long day, and she just wanted to curl up and watch a film with Rory, Amy, and Jack (River refuses to stay in on Friday nights out of some sort of ridiculous principle). It was a big surprise for her ex-boyfriend to turn up at her front door the night before his wedding. Shouldn't he be doing….well Stag Night stuff? "What's up?"

Mickey looked up at her like a kicked puppy which melted her heart a little.

"Martha broke up with me."

"_What?_!" Rose shrieked.

Concerned for her, Jack stood up and stepped towards her. "What's going on?" he asked worriedly.

"Is that the guy you wanted to take to the wedding?" Mickey asked. When Rose nodded he whistled. "Whoa…I now see why it was worth breaking me and Martha up."

"What?" Jack blinked.

"I don't understand," Rose said miserably, "how did my wanting Jack to come to the wedding led up to you and Martha breaking up."

"I told you so!" Rory shouted from the sofa.

"Shut up, Rory."

"Mickey," Rose said confidently, "you and Martha won't be broken up forever, we'll sort it. Jack and I just won't go and-"

"But I want you to be there!" Mickey burst out passionately. "You're my best friend. Well, after Jake, and I love you, as a mate, and want you to be there when I show the world how much I love Martha and want to take care of her."

"Did you tell Martha this?" Amy asked curiously

"Not exactly…"

"What did you say?" Rory asked.

"Well…"

"Mickey," Rory, Amy, and Rose said warningly. They were far too used to him bollocking things up with his lack of…well eloquence.

"I just made it very clear that I wanted Rose to be there!"

"Mickey!" Rose exploded. "That sounds like you just told Martha that you're still in love with me!"

"But…but…but..."

"Oh my God," Amy face palmed, "you're an idiot!"

"Come on!" Rose snatched up her coat. "We have to save your wedding!"

"But I don't know where she is!" Mickey wailed.

"She just broke up with the bloke she was putting herself under severe stress for in order to marry him," Rose said patiently as possible. She was very quickly reminded one of the many reasons why she and Mickey broke up. "There is only one place she can be."

"Where?"

"The pub, of course."

DWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Martha was still sobbing into her vodka and cranberry juice.

After she broke it off with Mickey, a hideous fight that resulted with her throwing her ring at him, she wandered the streets crying when she bumped into River. Without hearing a word of argument, the curvy, outgoing, wild child dragged Martha into Galifrey's for a drink. It was her fourth one and still she felt far too sober and depressed.

"Who needs men, hey?" River said cheerfully as she brought another drink for Martha despite the fact that Martha hadn't finished her fourth drink. "Drink up sweetie, you and I are going to paint the town crimson red and in the morning you'll be all Mickey who?"

"I don't want to _forget him_!" Martha protested. "I _love_ him!"

"They all say that they love him," River said dismissively, "but at the end of the day you left him before it was too late and now you should live your life to the fullest."

"I didn't want to break it off," Martha carried on, "But I just couldn't believe that he cared more about _Rose _being there, and _Rose_ being happy, than _me_."

"There, there sweetie," River patted Martha's arm sympathetically, "you don't need him."

"But I _do_!" Martha wailed.

"But you really _don't,_" River shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Look at you, you're a beautiful, sophisticated woman. A doctor. Independent, intelligent, and totally awesome. What do you need _Mickey_ for? Apart from, you know, somewhat passable sex."

"You're right," Martha realised, ignoring the snide comment of Mickey's sexual prowess. "I am all those things."

"Exactly!" River enthused. "You don't need a man."

"No I don't," Martha agreed happily. "After what is a man for apart from DIY and making babies? Nothing I can't hire someone to do."

"In total agreement here, it's like you're reading my mind," River said excitably. "In fact they need _you_. You should remind them that they need you. Fulfil your potential-"

"You can stop sucking her into cult right now," Amy interrupted sternly as she dragged River out of the booth. Rory gave River his patent look of disappointment while Jack hovered further behind looking somewhat amused.

Rose and Mickey had pushed past River to talk to Martha.

"Why?" River challenged her bossy redheaded friend. "So you can drag her back into your cult of marriage and happiness."

"Exactly," Amy agreed as she shoved River into the next booth.

"Martha, love," Mickey said pleadingly, "I don't care who is at the wedding. I don't care if the food is crap, or the lilies aren't there, or even if they don't play our song…I just want to marry you. I love you."

Tears filled Martha's eyes again. Hey, it's been a stressful and highly emotional day, and that was before the break up. "It just feels like…that you don't sometimes," she mumbled. "That you don't care about what I care about."

"Of course _I care_!" Mickey cried out. "I care about the fact you want lilies at our wedding because they were the first flowers I got you. I care about the fact that your stepmother and her so called lactose intolerance, which you're certain she made up because you see her devour a pint of ice cream two years ago, is driving you up the wall. I care about the fact you wake up with nightmares of something going wrong. I care about the fact that you haven't eaten and now lost a terrible amount of weight. I care Martha, I care so much."

"And you listen," she said tears now running down her cheeks, only these now seemed to be happy ones, because who wouldn't cry at such a loving speech? "You really listen to me."

"You make everything boring sound exciting."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"Can we still get married tomorrow?" Martha asked hesitatingly.

"Of course we can babe," Mickey grinned at her. "Why do you think I'm here? I came to win you back."

Martha laughed shakily and threw her arms round Mickey, they kissed sweetly as River rolled her eyes in disgust. Mickey happily placed his engagement ring back on her finger and they kissed once more to the cheers of the bar and the muttered disgust of the barman (something about domestics, Martha really didn't care). Cradled in Mickey's arms, Martha smiled at Rose, "Thank you," she said a bit hoarse from her crying. "I know he wouldn't have found me if you didn't shove him in the right direction."

"No big deal," Rose shrugged.

"And," Martha sniffled a little, snot was so unattractive after all, "I suppose it really wouldn't be a big deal if you brought your date," Martha said as she wiped her eyes once more, "I was just being…"

"Bridezilla?"

"Yeah."

"Its fine," Rose reassured her, "and thank you. I'm sorry I caused such a problem."

They had one last drink with Martha who cheered up considerably after meeting Jack, and they waved her and Mickey off as they headed back to the places they were staying before the wedding. Rose sighed half happily and half wistfully at the sight.

She wanted to get married again.

DWDWDWDWDWDW

The wedding was lovely.

Short, non-religious, and very sweet as Martha and Mickey recited their own written vows. Martha looked gorgeous in her simple white, strapless, gown and veil, and Mickey looked…well uncomfortable in his suit but that was nothing new, nor was the lavish look of adoration he had for his bride. The reception wasn't bad, though the food wasn't great and the drinks were incredibly expensive but Jack was there and Rose enjoyed it immensely. He joked, he flirted, and he danced with her. The music was really good but Mickey always did have good taste in music and after being spun round the dance floor to dizzyingly lengths, she went to get another drink when she was suddenly dragged aside by a happy Martha. "Okay, you're forgiven," she grinned, "a gorgeous guy like that? Totally worth almost breaking me and Mickey up."

"I didn't meant to," Rose said immediately, "I just-"

"Hey," Martha interrupted reassuringly, "totally get it. But because I'm a ridiculous person who likes to prove her point. I found this."

She handed Rose her RSVP. She had ticked no plus one.

She never ticked no plus one.

She used to always tick plus one…when did she stop believing she would find someone?

"You're all right?" Martha peered at her worriedly.

"Yeah, fine," Rose mumbled, "just even more sorry for causing trouble."

Martha rubbed Rose's arm sympathetically, "It worked out for the best after all," she smiled, "and you got that gorgeous hunk of a guy over there."

"Have I?" Rose asked more herself than her friend.

"The way he's been looking at you?" Martha beamed. "Of course you do! He's totally besotted with you."

This was the truth.

Over the months while being friends Jack had found himself more and more into Rose. He liked her laugh, he loved her passion, he enjoyed the same things she did, and he has never met anyone as nice, considerate, and perhaps a little insane, like Rose Tyler.

Then when he picked her up that evening….dressed in that gorgeous black revealing dress, her blonde hair pinned up, and her make up highlighting everything gorgeous about her…

In that moment Jack realised just how beautiful Rose is, and just how much she meant to him.

He swigged his drink bravely, and once Martha left Rose in favour of dancing with her new husband, he approached her for another dance.

"We seem to have a habit of dancing to Glenn Miller," he purred.

"He was Mickey's Nan's favourite, and he grew up with her," Rose mumbled as she rested her chin on his shoulder. "But he does seem to be our favourite…"

He held her tighter and shut his eyes. He wondered…how would he ever be able to approach her romantically when he had so stupidly made it clear he only wanted to be her friend?

Meanwhile Rory bounced up to Amy, definitely tipsy but he wasn't working tomorrow, and he deserved to have some fun, and kissed her soundly on her cheek. "Good news!" Rory shouted as he twirled Amy into his arms, "there's an opening here. Someone had cancelled, and Martha being the awesome friend she is told Tish we wanted to have our wedding here, and she booked us in, for a discounted rate. We can get married in two months!"

"_What_?" Amy asked stunned.

"I know it's really fast," Rory said a little more sensibly, "but it's a great opportunity and it's….well you and me, married. How awesome would that be?"

"Really awesome. We're us, how can we not be?" Amy replied automatically. "Sounds fantastic," Amy said thoughtfully, "yeah, let's do it!" she cried out impulsively. "Let's get married in two months!"

He cheered a little and pulled her in for a more passionate and loving kiss. She returned it happily enough but inside Amy's heart stopped as her stomach and other insides froze in dread and horror.

_She wasn't ready_.

It was suddenly flashing all before her eyes. Marrying Rory, having Rory's babies, never doing anything beyond teaching, mothering, and occasionally having a drink with Rose. She didn't want that. She wanted to pursue her dreams! Whatever happened to her acting career? Why did she stop auditioning for amateur productions? Why hasn't she continued to chase after every potential acting job? Why has she suddenly settled down?

Whatever happened to trying to make it big? What happened to all her travelling she was going to do? What happened to her fucking lesbian experience, and learning a new language, and eating different foods from round the world, and finally starring in her favourite musical of all?

She has done _nothing _she had set out to do in her life and now she was going to lose her chance to ever do it.

She clutched Rory desperately.

She loved him.

But she didn't want to marry him, not yet anyway.

_So on the outside nothing had changed, we were all still friends, we all had our lives, but inside…everything had changed. We had changed. _

"River!"

Two scandalised female voices of Amy and Rose screamed as River staggered out of a toilet cubicle with one of the ushers, a cousin of Mickey's, completely rumpled and stinking of sex.

"What?" River asked as she reapplied her lipstick. "At least I'm being awesome."

_Okay…not everyone had changed. _


	5. Series 1: The End and The Beginning

_Not long after Martha's and Mickey's wedding things began to change. Amy seemed to sleep less and was easily irritable, Rory worked longer hours to pay for the wedding, and Jack had been acting rather odd as well but the real change? The actual dramatic change? Well that started on a normal, unremarkable day…_

"Hey," Amy greeted Rose.

"''lo," Rose mumbled exhausted. It had been a long and difficult day in the office. Her boss was a nightmare, and a pig, and a general egotistic jerk. "Good day?"

Amy shrugged. "You?"

"Terrible."

"Oh good," Amy said distractedly, "could you do me a favour?"

"Depends," Rose replied warily.

"I need a ride to Stevenage."

"Can't Rory do it?" Rose whined.

"NO!" Amy yelled. Rose looked taken back and Amy smiled sheepishly. "Sorry…it's just, err, well he's at work for starters, and I don't really want him to know."

"Wedding stuff?"

"Something like that, yeah."

Rose looked like she was about to argue so Amy pulled out the pouty lips and big eyed look that always won with Rory and would certainly weaken Rose's resolve. After all it was this look that convinced Rose it was a great idea to flat share with Rory, and to go to all those parties, and to see her really crap play that one time, but it won't work. Not this time.

She wasn't going to give in this time. She was tired, grumpy, and really needed a cup of tea, and therefore was not going to do any road trips. No way. Nuh-huh. Not in a million –

She gave in.

She wasn't even sure what happened. One moment she was refusing the wide-eyed pleading Amy, and the next she was in her car heading towards the M25. She was certain Amy knew witchcraft.

"So why exactly are we going to Stevenage?" Rose asked once more.

"Just for something," Amy evaded.

"_Amy_."

"What?"

"I'm your best friend," Rise said patiently as possible, "I've known you for nine years, I know all of your tells, and I _know_ you're lying to me. Why are we going to Stevenage?"

Amy sighed. "You know that I haven't been sleeping well?"

"Yeah…"

"Well I've been passing the time by doing all sorts, you know reading, work, playing computer games – I once got the high score on that download of Tetris you have on your laptop."

"_That was you_?!" Rose shouted disbelievingly. "I blamed Rory for that!"

Rory had to deal with Rose at her most grumpiest for two days until she finally, after wasting hours of her life that she will never get back, topped that horrible high score.

"Why do you think I used his initials?" Amy smirked but it faded quickly. "Anyway, one night I was researching some drama stuff, and I found a group, amateur stuff but they're doing a tour round the country, they'll even be going to Edinburgh for the Edinburgh Show! And I thought…well it was too good of an opportunity to give up."

"Amy," Rose cried out exasperated. "You're getting married in _two months_! You won't be able to go on a tour round the country in the summer."

"I know, I know," Amy said hastily, "but I needed to do this. I'm not like you Rose, I haven't accomplished my dream."

"You think designing the trees for my boss' model is my dream?" Rose raised a sarcastic eyebrow.

"You know what I mean," Amy rolled her eyes, "you're an architect. You made it. But I haven't, I skipped the good part of my career and gone to the dead end of it all. I'm not an actress. I haven't been in anything since my last performance at Uni and I…I need to know I can pass an audition. I need to know if I'm good still."

"I understand that I do," Rose started sympathetically, "we all thought you were going to make it big. Rory believed it more than anyone, and we were all sad to see you go straight from Uni into a teaching course, and then straight into a teaching job, all for the sake of helping us pay rent for the flat….but you can't do something like this. Join a local amateur group, take some sick days and audition for the West End, or sign up for one of those rubbish reality talent shows to land you an acting career, but don't ruin what is the best thing in your life." She took a deep breath and sighed heavily. "I'm sorry," Rose finished, "but you need to tell Rory."

Amy sighed. "Fine, can we stop at a service station and get a cuppa first? I need something."

"Fine," Rose rolled her eyes.

They drove in silence even when Rose found a service station that had a Costa Coffee in it. Rose eyed Amy from the corner of her eyes worriedly as she pulled in, Amy expressed absolutely nothing so when Rose had just parked the car, and was about to get out, it was a bit of a shock when Amy suddenly shoved her out, locked the doors on her, and then, despite Rose banging on the window and shouting abuse at her so called best friend, she drove off.

She bloody drove off and abandoned Rose at a random service station in the middle of the M25!

Rose couldn't _fucking_ believe it!

"AMY! AMY!" Rose fumbled for her phone, angrily jabbed at her buttons, and then waited for the phone to be picked up. Leave your message after the beep. "Amy, this is Rose, you know your best friend you abandoned on the motorway? I'm just calling you to tell you that I am going to kill you. And in case you don't get this I will be sending a text message as well."

After she angrily jabbed at her keyboard, she sent a very threatening text, and then instantly called her new best friend. "Rory I need a ride."

"Sure, but can it wait till I finish my shift?" Rory asked sweetly. "I only have an hour left."

"Yeah," Rose said gratefully, "I'm out on the M25 and-"

"Sorry Rose, my supervisor wants a ward," Rory interrupted. There was a pause and she impatiently shifted her phone from one hand to the other and kicked a can that someone had just chucked on the ground with no consideration to the environment. "I've just been asked to do some overtime, and you know we need the money for the big day, couldn't ask Amy to pick you up? She has the keys to my car." There is a pause as Rose ponders how to inform Rory it was his so called delightful fiancée that had abandoned Rose realised what a terrible idea it was to phone Rory. "Never mind!" she shouted quickly. "I'll call someone else." Hurriedly she hangs up and jabs hastily at the buttons to ring the next person on her list of potential heroes. "River I need you to pick me up from the M25-"

"No can do sweetie," her friend purred. "You know that if I have one rule, just one rule, it's to never leave London unless it is something exciting and exotic."

"But-"

"No," River interrupted coolly. "Now go away I have an essay due tomorrow that I haven't finished

"But I need-"

River hung up on her. The bloody cow that calls herself Rose's friend, just hung up on her! Oh if Rose gets her hands on that girl…

There was only one person left and, best of all, she knew he wouldn't ask why she needed a ride.

Without hesitation she dials Jack's number.

DWDWDWDWDW

Jack had been very much prepared to go to every service station in order to find Rose. Fortunately though he didn't need to since she was at the third service stations he went to. With a huge grin on his face he parked smoothly, and pressed the button to unwind the window down. "Need a ride, beautiful?" he asked in his best flirtatious voice.

The pretty blonde turned round to reveal that she wasn't Rose. "Sorry," she smirked, "I have my own but I can give you my number."

"Err…"

Jack wasn't sure how to gently turn this girl down without coming across as a complete arsehole but once again luck was on his side as Rose came to his own rescue. "Jack!" she cried out ecstatically. She ran past the blonde, causing her to huff in irritation and storm off, and eagerly got in the car. She greeted Jack with one of the biggest and warmest hugs he has ever had in his life. "Thank God you came, I thought I was going to have to book a room here."

"As if I could let you stay in an overpriced poor quality franchise hotel mere miles away from your home," Jack shook his head, "besides I don't abandon my friends."

"Well it's good to know one of my friends have that philosophy," Rose muttered darkly.

"Care to fill me in sweetheart?"

"Ah…Amy sort of ran off with my car and left me here," Rose admitted sheepishly, "we had a bit of a fight."

"What about?"

"Promised not to say."

Jack peered at her admiringly until the car behind them beeped angrily he had caused a bit of a traffic jam on the exit lane for the service stations. With the faintest of blushes (for he doesn't embarrass easily unlike some) he quickly moved into action before he caused any more traffic issues.

"Let me get this straight," Jack said, "Amy abandoned you in the middle of nowhere so to speak, and you're _still _going to keep her secret?"

"Uhuh."

Jack whistled. "You're a better person than most."

"I'm not!" Rose flushed.

"You are too," Jack argued.

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

_I'm not going to lie Kids, this childish argument carried on till we reached the outskirts of London…so yeah about forty minutes almost. _

"You are so!" Jack changed the words of his argument abruptly. "God, Rose, why is it so hard for you to take a compliment? You are the best. The best friend anyone could have, the best person to be with, you're so funny, intelligent, and kind, and you're the best good looking girl."

"Really?" Rose questioned bitterly. "I'm the best?" Jack nodded as he had to focus a little on road, some idiot just drove out without any consideration. "If that's the case then why the hell did you reject me nine months ago?"

"Because I'm an idiot!" Jack snapped.

"What?"

"I'm an idiot," Jack repeated softly, "I've been utterly blind. Completely stupid. It took seeing you at the wedding to realise…"

"Realise what?" Rose prodded gently.

Her heart was hammering hard in her chest and her hopes were swelling up to dizzying heights. She had tried to move on from him. God knows she tried, perhaps not as hard as River would have liked, and certainly not well enough to see a bloke more than a handful of dates. If Jack was going to say anything less than a confession…if this was her getting her hopes up stupidly, then she wasn't sure if she could cope with another rejection from him.

This was it. Their last chance.

"That I love you," Jack whispered. He dangerously risked looking at Rose properly and declared himself much louder. "I _love_ you, Rose Tyler."

Rose bit back the instinct to reply, throw her arms round him, and snog the living daylights out of him, and instead merely smiled. "We should get back home," she said.

"Oh," Jack looked disappointed, "right. Of course. Yeah I understand."

"Well I say home," Rose played with her hair coyly, "I mean your place. That way there's no one to interrupt us."

Jack blinked. "You mean…?"

"Well I can't just show you how much I love you back in a car while you're driving!" Rose squawked a little. "I'm not some bloody cheap whore!"

Jack chuckled but he shot her one last scorching and very serious smouldering look before he really put his foot on the pedal.

After all they had nine months of being idiots to make up for.

DWDWDWDWDW

Amy got back in before Rory did, fortunately. Unfortunately there seemed to be no sign of Rose and she swallowed back her guilt in order to act normal as possible.

"Hey," Rory greeted her with a peck on her cheek. "Good day?"

"Yeah," Amy lied brightly, "you?"

"Not particularly," Rory shrugged his coat off, and wandered into the kitchen to put the kettle on. "Got a funny phone call from Rose though."

"Oh?"

Amy tried to sound natural but it sounded false even to her own ears. Perhaps she wasn't that good of an actress and therefore will definitely not be getting the role.

"Yeah," Rory said oblivious, well on second thoughts… "Something about being abandoned on the M25, I couldn't go and get her because of work obviously…did she call you?"

"No!" Amy responded immediately.

"Really?" Rory peered round the kitchen door and looked at Amy sceptically. "That's not like her. I thought she would have called you before me."

"Well, I, err, had my phone turned off," Amy half lied.

She certainly turned her phone off when she got to the community centre her auditions were being held at.

"She must have contacted someone," Rory said worriedly, "I know River won't go but surely….she's not still out there is she?" he rushed to the answer machine and sighed in relief. "There's a couple of messages here. One of them has to be her!" he immediately pressed the button.

_You have two new messages_, the mechanical voice grated out, _first new message_:

"Hey, it's me," Rose's voice chirped cheerfully, "just to let you know Jack rescued me, no thanks to you two useless lumps, and I'll be out with him. Don't wait up!"

_Second new message:_

"Amelia Pond?" an odd male voice echoed. "Hi this is Jeff, the director and head of Stevenage's Adult Drama Productions, just a quick call to let you know we thought you were _fantastic,_ and you got the lead! We start with the read through and a briefing on the travel arrangements first thing tomorrow morning. So if you can arrive some time before ten that would great. Thanks, and congrats."

_BEEP!_

_There are no new messages. _

Rory stared at the answer machine dumbstruck while Amy felt her stomach due celebratory somersaults. She got the part. She got the lead. She was fantastic. Someone thought she had potential. She could still be an actress….

_Oh God!_ How can she get married_ now?_

"I can't believe it…" she breathed. "I got a role…I got the lead….Rory I got it!" she squealed excitedly. Anything to put off telling the truth just yet. She threw her arms round him and kissed him soundly.

"Congratulations," Rory said proudly, "why didn't you tell me you were auditioning?"

"I didn't want to jinx myself, I wasn't sure if I could get the part, and…." She bit her lip nervously. An appalling habit that she picked up rom Rose.

"And what?" Rory prodded gently. When Amy didn't answer immediately he began to panic a little. "And what?" he repeated himself. "What aren't you telling me, Amy?"

"It's a special sort of play," Amy said slowly.

"Graphic scenes?" Rory jumped in. "But we had agreed if you were to make a career in acting I can't get jealous at these sort of things because they were just part of the job …if that's all what's worrying you, I wouldn't-"

"No, it's not that," Amy shook her head, "it's just that it's on our wedding…"

"So we post pone the honeymoon and surely they'll have an understudy for the day," Rory said reasonably.

"It's a travelling dramatics group!" Amy snapped. "I'm expected to spend the summer travelling the country and performing this play!"

"I don't understand…" Rory's good, warm, and happy mood vanished, and he started to get a little angry. Amy could tell, his mouth had tightened, the warmth had disappeared from his eyes, and he was standing very, _very_, still. "When were you going to tell me you won't be able to make it to our wedding because you're travelling the country in a theatre company?"

"I wasn't sure if I would get the part!" Amy protested. "I just did the audition today."

"Okay, let me rephrase that," Rory glared at her fiercely, "why didn't you tell me you were going to audition for a travelling theatre company?"

"I wasn't sure if I would get the part," Amy repeated herself. Only she didn't sound very convinced or convincing.

"Why would you audition for something like this?"

"Because I needed to know-" Amy stopped herself abruptly and stepped back from Rory. Uncertainty now poured in her stomach once more. She got the part, she was good, and now she should be happy with that and carry on with her life with Rory….but she still didn't know if she wanted to marry him.

"What?" Rory yelled. "You needed to know _what?_ That if you wanted to marry me? Because it looks from here that you don't want to marry me!"

"_I don't_!" Amy shrieked. Hot tears suddenly ran down her cheeks as Rory looked at her completely heartbroken; furious, angry, and any other adjective associated with that emotion sure, but heartbroken all the same. It just made her want to cry. "I want to do this! If I don't do this, I know I will regret it-"

"So marrying me will be something you'll regret?" Rory interrupted furiously, Amy sobbed helplessly as more tears ran down her face, but she didn't say anything in defence of that attack. She was absolutely silent. "Amy?" Rory prodded less angrily now. "Amy, would you regret marrying me?" Rory now sounded like a lost little boy and that only made Amy cry even more. "Say you won't regret marrying me," Rory pleaded with her terrified, "say you won't regret it. Please."

Amy shook her head and more tears fell.

Only this time they were Rory's as well.

DWDWDWDWDW

_That morning I had gone home having just had the best night of my life only to find that the worst thing possible has happened. _

Rose had been laughing as she ran across the road in the rain (yes it was raining again that was just typical British weather there). She just had the best night of sex in her life, she had just won the heart of the best man she had ever met, she was now Jack Harkness' girlfriend, and boy, did it feel good. Her laughter halted to a stop and her smile faded when she saw Rory sitting on the porch steps, he was soaked to the bone, and had the most depressed, look on his face.

He looked up mournfully and said the worst words in the history of worst words. "Amy broke up with me."

"Oh Rory," she sighed heavily.

Her happiness drained immediately and she suddenly found herself exhausted as she automatically sat herself down next to him, and wrapped an arm round him.

Her head fell onto his shoulder as she hugged him tightly.

It was just them two now.

Amy had abandoned them.

**End of Series One. **

**Author's Note: I must confess I'm a little disappointed at the reception this fic has received. After such a brilliant response to the first chapter I had hoped by now this fic would have a bit of a stronger following. Therefore as the review whore I am, I won't put up the beginning of series two (which I promise has a lot of different twists as well as some How I Met Your Mother plotlines) until there I have twenty five reviews, and please know constructive criticism is more than welcome just no insults or name calling. **


	6. Series 2: Getting Over Amy Pond

**Author's Note: **Thank you everyone for taking the time to review when I asked (coughblackmailedcough). For your reward, as promised, here's the first instalment of series 2. I hope you enjoy it.

_Kids I'm going to skip the summer here. _

_Not because nothing interested had happened, I was dating your Uncle Jack at the time and boy he made every day an adventure….where was I? Oh yes, the summer, I won't tell you anything because I think you would lose all respect for your Uncle Rory._

Jack snuck out of Rose's bedroom in order to get a glass of water. He was wearing absolutely nothing but Rose's pink fluffy dressing gown, and therefore didn't want to get caught by Rory…actually no, that didn't bother him at all, he just didn't want to wake anyone up. He was successful until he turned the kitchen light on and screamed.

Someone else screamed as well.

"What?!" Rose ran out with a tennis racquet in her hands. "What is it? What happened? What- Rory? Is that _you_?!"

There huddled in the corner of the kitchen, wearing nothing but his underwear, with an overgrown beard, greasy hair, and tearstained face, was Rory.

Cuddling a pot of Ben and Jerry's ice cream.

"Yes," he whimpered pathetically, "don't mind me, I'm fine."

"You're not," Rose observed worriedly, "Why don't you get dressed, any clothes will do, and I'll make you a cuppa."

"No…no," Rory shook his head helplessly, "you go back to bed, have lots of loud and fantastic sex that I could totally hear from the other side of the flat, never mind the fact that we don't share a wall between our bedrooms, and I enjoy this beautiful tasting ice cream."

"Well you heard the guy," Jack said cheerfully. He tried to take Rose's hand and drag her out of the kitchen before it got even weirder.

"I really don't want to leave Rory alone," Rose shrugged him off.

"No, it's all right," Rory said lifelessly, "I'm not alone, I have my new best friends, Ben and Jerry, they fulfil me…"

"Lots of sex it is, then!" Rose declared in false cheer as she dragged Jack out of the kitchen.

He never did get his glass of water.

_So we will skip to the autumn where your Uncle Rory first said, _

"I'm ready to start dating again," Rory declared to his friends, "I think…"

"Excellent!" River rubbed her hands together in a parody of Mr Burns. "You and I can go on the pull together, we could do the brother/sister routine, you find me blokes I can have fun with, and I will find you girls that you can heartlessly abandon after one night of passionate love making."

"Why is it fun when you do it but if I do it it's heartless?" Rory asked dumbfounded.

"Double standards of society," River shrugged uncaringly.

"Are you sure, you're ready?" Rose asked as she shrugged on her jacket. "It was only just yesterday you broke down when you found one of Amy's old socks."

"I have to do this," Rory said firmly, "if I don't then I never will…and then what? I spend the rest of my life moping?"

"It worked for Bella Swan."

"Definitely ready to move on with my life!"

"Just be careful…" Rose mumbled as she hunted down her handbag. For reasons unknown to anyone it was stuffed between sofa cushions. "River makes you do really odd things."

"Don't you have work, sweetie?" River asked sweetly.

"Don't you have classes?" Rose shot back.

"PhD student," River shrugged, "I have like one class a week."

"It'll be fine," Rory said dismissively.

"If you say so," Rose smirked as River pulled out a razor from her back pocket. "I'll see you later." She managed to close the door in time as Rory shrieked like a girl.

DWDWDWDWDW

Jack was taking a much needed coffee break.

Technically that meant he only had ten minutes to dash off to the kitchens and make a quick cuppa but he was quite high up and could easily get away with a stroll to the nearest Starbucks and enjoy a proper coffee. Unfortunately it was far too busy and he could barely move in the bustling shop. He was quick to snatch his order when he had been served and run off but as fate would have it, he turned round only to crash into a redheaded girl.

"Oh I'm sor – Amy?" Jack cried out disbelievingly interrupting his own apology.

"Hi Jack," Amy mumbled. "Good summer?"

"Yeah, not too bad - _when the hell did you get back_?"

"Last week," Amy shrugged, "I've been crashing on a friend's sofa while I look for a job and a place to live."

"You could have asked one of us!" Jack snapped indignantly.

"No I couldn't," Amy countered back, "you're all Rory's friends."

"_And_?" Jack sneered. "We're _your_ friends too!"

"I didn't want Rory to know I was back just yet," Amy sighed, "not until I sorted myself out."

Jack softened at that. "Oh sweetheart," he murmured, "you know he wouldn't let you wander the streets if you turned up on his front door."

"I wouldn't do that to him, not after how I broke his heart," Amy said stubbornly, "besides I'm not exactly wandering the streets, am I?"

"So what were you doing before I bumped into you?"

"Erm," Amy flushed a terrible pink that clashed with her hair, "putting my CV in at every shop I encountered as I wandered the streets." Jack gave her a pointed look that made her blush even more. "Oh shut up!" she grumbled.

"Here," Jack shoved a hand in his pockets and fumbled for his keys before he held them out to Amy. "I have a spare bedroom. Stay there till you find somewhere else."

"Jack-"

"I insist," He interrupted firmly, "and give me one of those CVs."

"Why?"

"I'm sure I can recommend you for something in Torchwood," Jack shrugged.

Amy handed one over without a second thought and Jack was pleased to see she had added administrative experience from her previous job and some work experience on it. It made things so much easier. "Why are you doing this?" Amy asked bewildered.

"Because I'm your friend," Jack said exasperated. "And as your friend, I expect you let me buy you a coffee and tell me all about your summer."

For the first time since they bumped into each other Amy smiled. they then settled into a cosy sofa with their drinks, and Amy went on to recounting her summer with the theatre company, how she had received good reviews wherever they went, how she met new and interesting people, and how every day had been an adventure it sounded brilliant. It was also incredibly distracting as it took Jack two hours to get back to work….not that anyone cared.

Rose, however, cared very much, but not in the way Jack expected her to.

"You're letting her stay at yours!" she hissed furiously down the phone to him.

"Yes!" Jack snapped. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Only that she should have come to us first," Rose shot back, "she should face us like the woman she claims to be. Not sulk about London."

"She's not sulking," Jack protested, "in fact she's very happy."

"She's happy?!"

"She is your friend you know," Jack reminded her, "you should be happy that she's happy."

"I know," Rose mumbled, "it's just I think about how Rory's been this last summer and I just think…well she should be just as miserable."

"I know," Jack murmured reassuringly. "I know."

It was then he invited Rose over to have dinner with him and Amy. He had a feeling the pair of them needed each other; even if it was just to talk.

DWDWDWDWDW

River was enjoying every second of this.

Completely slutted up, in short, skimpy clothes, and decent make up, with Rory looking…well like Rory again in his best jeans and shirt, she was ready to paint London Town crimson red. Rory had a panicked look on his face that suggested that he would like to run back to his flat and hide under the bed. This only made River more determined to enjoy herself as she grabbed hold of her friend by the elbow and dragged him to the bar.

She was pleased to see that after a couple drinks he loosened up a bit and was now openly staring at a pretty brunette. Oh, the game was on! Without hesitation she tapped the girl on the shoulder. "Hi," she said cheerfully before she yanked Rory in view. "Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaave you met Rory?"

"No," the brunette smiled, "hello Rory."

"Erm," Rory flushed, "hi."

River left the two to flirt as she eyed the talent in the bar. Unfortunately there was nothing good enough for her right now. Just the usual bunch of losers trying to get a girl. Sigh, it was true what they say all the god ones were either taken or gay. It was then her phone beeped with a text, a quick peek told her it was from Rose, and at first she was reluctant to read it because obviously Rose was going be all boring and couple-y, but the moment she spotted Amy's name in a skim read, she got interested very quickly.

It was when Rory looked like was about to get this girl's number that she intervened. "Hey Ror," she called out loudly, "your Dad just phoned he wanted to remind you not to do anything till the rash is gone."

Rory looked absolutely mortified as the brunette quickly backed off. With everyone else sniggering and Rory getting more and more upset with River, she decided it was time to go elsewhere. "Why did you do that?!" Rory hissed as she dragged him out of the bar. "I was right in with that girl!"

"Sweetie, trust me," River said, "You don't want any from the likes of her."

What she really meant was that he belonged only to Amy but she couldn't say that out loud. For starters it would ruin her reputation. They hit a regular pub next which was boring and filled with people far too old for River to shag, and therefore perfectly safe for Rory to have a drink without ending up with some tart.

Unfortunately having only known Rory with Amy it had never occurred to River that he might actually have game. It seemed the moment she went to a bathroom a Hen Party of gorgeous girls descended on the pub, and a lovely, shy looking, redhead had just approached Rory.

"Hi," Rory said shyly.

"Hi," the girl smiled back just as shy.

It was then River moved into action as she suddenly stepped between the two of them, her back turned to the girl, as she loudly whined to the whole room to hear. "Rory, tell your girlfriend to stop bothering me."

The girl vanished quite quickly then. Rory's scowl unfortunately did not, and River had to placate him with lies about how she knew the girl from Uni and she was a diseased slut. Absolutely horrible but necessary.

They ended up in a gay nightclub because seriously it was like every bar and pub in London had girls that wanted a piece of Rory in it. At least in a gay nightclub will result in Rory just feeling mildly uncomfortable and with a desire to go home once his tolerance with River dies a tragic and brutal death.

Unfortunately River had forgotten that these days there were plenty of straight girls haunting gay nightclubs because it was a safe haven from horny, handsy, blokes. With Rory being the absolute sweetheart he naturally was, he was like a pop star to these girls and they were certainly pawing him like he was one.

Rory ended up dancing with a very nice looking girl when River tripped over nothing, on purpose, and spilt her drink down the girl's back. She shrieked, slapped River (totally worth it though), and stomped off sulkily. Rory looked frustrated and furious with River and she could barely open her mouth, he grabbed hold of her and dragged her out of the night club.

"Rory!" she snapped. "What's your problem?"

"You keep ruining my chances to pull!" he shouted at her.

"I am not!" she replied hotly. "Rory Arthur Williams, how dare you accuse me of such a thing, as if I would besmirch the sanctuary of single-ness!" Rory gave her a pointed look, a very fatherly, no-nonsense, pointed look, and she is ashamed to say that she totally caved in at that. "Yeah, okay," she admitted, "I was ruining your chances of pulling."

"Why?!"

"Because….because…well, Amy's back."

"What?" Rory suddenly turned very quiet and River now found it a bit of a struggle to read his facial expression. "When? How? What?" he babbled quietly to himself.

"Rose told me," River shrugged, "Jack bumped into her."

"_And none of them bothered to tell me?!"_

River didn't get to answer him. He stormed off and wouldn't slow down when she called out for him.

She had a terrible feeling she had just put her foot in it.

DWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose joined Jack in the kitchen to do the dishes. She had just endured two hours of Amy telling her how brilliant the different cities of England, Wales, and Scotland were as well as each and every interesting person she had met on her tour. Anyone with half the resentment, anger, and irritation Rose had boiling within her would have snapped but she didn't.

Because she knew something that Jack was completely oblivious to. "See," Jack grinned, "she's happy."

"She's not happy," Rose said smugly.

"Err…yes she is."

"Nope," Rose popped the p happily. "She's fucking miserable."

"What makes you so certain that she is?" Jack demanded to know.

"I'm her _best friend_," Rose rolled her eyes, "have been for ten years, I know when she's lying, and guess what? _She's lying_. She's been just as miserable as Rory.

"But you heard her! She had the best of time."

"She's lying," Rose said flatly.

"You don't know that!" Jack argued.

"I so do!" Rose snapped. "I just told you that I know her better than anyone, well apart from Rory, and let me tell you she's _miserable_."

"Prove it," Jack dared her.

"Do you have a bottle of whiskey?" Rose asked off handily. Jack, rather startled at the sudden change of topic, merely nodded in reply. "Get that stuff in her and she'll spill everything."

"All right then," Jack said, "I will, and then we'll see that you're wrong."

"Oh sweetie, oh honey," Rose grinned, "Don't you know that it's always the woman in the relationship that's right?"

With a bottle of whiskey in his hand, and a disarming grin, Jack returned to the living room. "Let's have a drink!" he shouted brightly.

Amy pulled a face and shifted uncomfortably on the sofa. "No thank you," she mumbled.

"Are you sure?" Rose asked appearing behind Jack. "Nothing like a good whiskey to end the day."

"Not for me," Amy shook her head.

"Really?" Rose pressed. "That's unlike you. Usually you have to be sick or near death to refuse a whiskey. Whatever happened to your Scottish pride?"

Amy started to sob, and at first Rose was worried that she had pushed too hard, but then Amy blurted out, "I can't have a drink because I'm pregnant!"

"_What?!"_

This wasn't what Rose expected. This was so not what she had expected at all. "Is it…," she trailed off and bit her lip unable to ask the question.

"It is Rory's," Amy choked out between sobs, "I found out a month after I left and then….Oh God Rose it was _horrible!_ I couldn't do it at all! All I thought about day in and day out was Rory, how much I missed him, how much I needed him, and how much he must hate me! And then I couldn't stop crying, fuck I was uncontrollable, and I don't know if it was because I was pregnant or because I'm just so _fucking miserable_, but my acting was terrible, we had one awful review after another, and no one applauded us, and soon enough I was let go, not because of the acting but because I couldn't get along with anyone."

"But at least you saw some great sights," Jack tried comfortingly.

"Who cares about mouldy old buildings when I have no job, no home, and no father for my baby?!" Amy shrieked. "I ruined everything and now my baby is going to pay for it!"

"Enough of that!" Rose scolded, she swatted Amy's hand lightly but hard enough to sting. "You have not ruined everything. Do you think so lowly of Rory? As if he won't want to be a father to his and your baby! And then the job? Don't worry, Jack has put in a good word, and I will too, you can have a good office job until you really sort yourself out, and as for a home…just come home, Amy," Rose pleaded. "Come home."

"I can't!" Amy wailed.

"Well you're more than welcome to stay here for as long as you like," Jack said reassuringly, "now come here and let us look after you."

Amy rested her head on Rose's shoulder and allowed Jack to wrap his arm round her as she released every terrible feeling she had since she broke up with Rory.

DWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose managed to convince Amy to come home with her.

It wasn't a permanent thing, it wasn't even a temporary stay for the night, or anything like that, it was just a quick visit so she could talk with Rory. She was absolutely petrified of the idea. Rory rarely got angry, he was so sweet and patient, but every so often he did and he could be….irrational. She didn't want him to be mad at her. She wanted him to love her like she loved him.

They only just made it outside Galifrey's when Rory appeared looking absolutely furious; his cheeks red, his chest heaving, and a stormy look in his eyes made both Rose and Amy swallow.

"I'll…just go in and make some tea," Rose said quickly before she abandoned Amy to her fate. You know, like any good friend.

"Hi," Amy managed to get out awkwardly.

"Hi," Rory replied shortly. There was an awkwardly, painful, long silence until he dived in. "So when were you going to tell me you were back?" He demanded to know. "Or was I supposed to just guess?" he added sarcastically.

"I…just wanted to sort myself out first," Amy mumbled shamefully.

"You could have sorted yourself out here," Rory snarled, "I wouldn't have minded sleeping on the sofa," he added much more softly.

Amy cringed at that. That was what she had been afraid of, Rory not wanting to go back to way things were.

"I'm pregnant" she blurted out before she lost her courage. "I'm about four and a half months gone," she added quickly, "I don't know much. I haven't really been able to go to the doctors and I've been scared, and stupid, and sad, and really, really_, really_ stupid. Did I mention that I've been stupid?"

Rory's lips twitched at that but he couldn't muster a smile. "Is it mine?" he asked.

"Of course it is!" Amy shrilled. "How can you ask that?"

"I thought part of the reason you didn't want to marry me was because there was someone else," Rory admitted guiltily, "I've had the most horrid nightmares of you with another man."

"It's always been you, stupid face," Amy said softly, new tears were running down her face. Fuck she had hoped she would stop crying by now. She cried far too much for it to be good for her. "No one else," she promised. "I just needed time to soul search, find myself, and…I know I made a mistake. That I should have never broken up with you. Can we get back together, Rory?" Amy pleaded tearfully. "Please? I miss you so much."

"Amy, when you left me I had the worst summer of my life," Rory confessed, "I thought I would never be happy again, that I would even want to live without you, but then today I was ready to set out and move on." Amy shook her head. She had a feeling she knew where this was heading and she did not like it. "You broke my heart, and I resented you for it, but you were right…"

"No," she interrupted frantically, "Rory, please-"

"You needed to do some soul searching," Rory spoke even louder, "find out who you were, and explore new options."

"No, please no," Amy continued to beg.

"Well so do I," Rory declared, "I need to find myself away from you. It doesn't mean I don't want to know about the baby," he reassured her, "I want to be part of its life…but I can't be part of _your_ life. Not right now."

And with that he brutally walked away from her.

DWDWDWDWDWDW

Rory found Rose sitting on the sofa waiting for him when he came home. All it took was one look and they both knew that the other knew. They had always been good at silent communication….it was just verbal communication that they sucked at.

"I don't really want to talk to you right now."

"Rory-"

"You lied Rose."

"I did not!" Rose snapped. "I only found out that she was back this morning."

"And you didn't tell me!" Rory yelled. "I only found out because River slipped. You told River but not me. When were you going to tell me?"

"I hoped Amy would tell you," Rose said weakly, "I was encouraging her to do so this very night."

"Oh that's just brilliant," Rory said sarcastically, "because we all know Amy is good at telling me anything."

"That's not fair!" Rose cried out. "She's always told you everything."

"Apart from the fact that she didn't want to marry me."

"But she does!"

"Well it's too late!" he hesitated at the bedroom door and turned round to face Rose. "Did you know about the baby?" he asked quietly.

"Found out a couple hours ago," Rose murmured, "if she had it her way I don't think any of us would have known till ti was too late."

"She needs friends," he said softly.

"So do you."

"Not right now. Not friends likes you."

With that he threw open his bedroom door and slammed it soundly in Rose's face just as she ran after him. She wanted to shout at him for being an idiot, throw a tantrum, or maybe just chuck something at his door, because what he said was unnecessarily cruel, but instead she took a calming breath and went to bed, swearing she will have words with him in the morning.

But it was too late.

Because he was gone the next morning.


End file.
